


The Sound Of Silence

by prcttyodd



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Attempted Suicide, Bonding, Depression, Emotional Trauma, Family, Family time, Gen, Postpartum Depression, family fic, focuses a lot on character development, oc is hank’s daughter, platonic, read first chapter for clarification about things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2019-07-03 00:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15807429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prcttyodd/pseuds/prcttyodd
Summary: Camille Anderson quite literally watched her father's downfall. After the death of her brother, Cole, she watched her father transform from the courageous and well renowned person he once was to the ill tempered and gruff man that he was now.She changed a lot too. She moved out of his house, desperate to get away from the memories that would surface there. Everything reminded her of Cole.But, she couldn't abandon her father the same way that he had abandoned her after her brother's death. She went to check on him daily, always finding him in the same places. Passed out, pretending he wasn't drinking, staring at pictures of the family they were, sometimes even crying.His home was a mess. Dog piss everywhere. It constantly reeked of vomit and alcohol. She couldn't be there all of the time, so she decides to get her father some help.Namely, an Android. Named Connor.[AU]





	1. NOTES

SUMMARY: 

Camille Anderson quite literally watched her father's downfall. After the death of her brother, Cole, she watched her father transform from the courageous and well renowned person he once was to the ill tempered and gruff man that he was now. 

She changed a lot too. She moved out of his house, desperate to get away from the memories that would surface there. Everything reminded her of Cole. 

But, she couldn't abandon her father the same way that he had abandoned her after her brother's death. She went to check on him occasionally, always finding him in the same places. Passed out, staring at pictures of the family they were, sometimes even crying. 

His home was a mess. Dog piss everywhere. It constantly reeked of vomit and alcohol. She couldn't be there all of the time, so she decides to get her father some help. 

Namely, an Android. Named Connor. 

XX 

NOTES: 

Welcome to my first ever Detroit: Become Human fic! I hope you all enjoy! I always thought Hank having another child that he sort of abandoned and neglected because of grief would be an interesting concept, as well as the Hank and Connor not initially being partners thing. So here we are! Here's some stuff I wanna be clear on! 

-all relationships in this fic will be platonic, nothing romantic. 

-Connor is simply programmed to help around the house, nothing more. 

-Hank is now retired. 

-You will learn more about Camille as the story progresses. But she is an adult, I guess that's all you need to know for now. 

-Cole's means of death will be the same in this, a car accident. But in this AU, he dies in that rather than when he was operated on. 

-This story takes place in 2038. 

-A lot of Hank's past isn't made very clear, so I'm going to be adding my own bits and pieces to it. 

XX 

WARNINGS: 

Mentions of alcoholism, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and death. Trigger warnings will be used within chapters.


	2. 1.

A/N: this story is an AU. Please refer to the first chapter if you haven't read it yet, as it contains important details about the universe in which this story takes place. 

XX

Hank Anderson hated the silence most of the time. 

In his home, there seemed to be an abundance of it. 

As the days went on, Hank realized that he took many sounds for granted. The pitter patter of his dog entering the room, for example. Now, he didn't even hear his damn dog most of the time. He usually woke up, saw the piss or shit on the floor, would yell, and let the dog outside for a bit. Whenever he would hear the dog walk into the room, he would watch him as he ran out, wishing more than anything that things were as they once were. But they weren't. So, he would sip some more of his current drink of choice. 

He took for granted the screaming of children. The laughter. The stories about school days, and hearing gossip about kids on the playground. He wished that he could go back there and hear all of those sounds again. 

Now, all he heard was nothing. Sometimes, he would get a ringing in his ears when he was extremely drunk. He didn't mind that, because it was at least something. 

But the most of the time, he heard nothing. No matter how much he drank, the silence would drive him insane. 

On one hand, the silence was a good thing. It was peaceful. It was nice. Most of all, it meant that he could drink because there was nobody and nothing to listen to. 

But on the other hand, Hank couldn't stand it. 

Because the silence, it reminded him of just how alone he was. 

XX

"This is our last number of the night. Are we all ready?!" Camille Anderson announced, trying her best to sound excited. 

She heard various replies from the people playing. 

"Yeah, just get on with it already!" 

"It better be what I have." 

"Do it! I'm so close to winning!" 

This was what she heard, every single Friday night. Friday night was bingo night. 

This was her part of her job. She worked at a rehabilitation center for old folks, in the activities department. She read off bingo numbers on Fridays, played regular board games with various patients every other day of the week, and helped wheel patients to their rooms. 

Most 21 year olds wouldn't like having a job like this, but Camille loved it. She liked helping other people. It was something that gave her so much satisfaction. 

"B12." She announced, leaving many of the patients angry at their loss. Only 3 bingos tonight. 

Camille helped wheel all of the patients that needed it back to their rooms or to wherever they wanted to go, then it was time for her to head home. 

Well, before she went home she had to make a stop at her father's house. It was a daily routine. She went to work and helped people out there, and then went to her father's house to help him. 

She helped him let the dog out, clean up whatever mess he had left unattended, and made him promise not to overdo it with the drinking. It never worked, but it was worth a try. 

She knew how hard it was for her father, it was hard for her as well. He was just coping in ways that hurt him, and she hated to see that. 

She drove to his place, and dug into her pocket to get the key to the home. Her father had given it to her once she went to middle school, saying she was old enough and responsible to keep it and let herself inside. It was also important to have a key, because at the time she was going to middle school, she had a new baby brother in the house. 

She twisted the key in the lock and let herself inside. 

XX 

Hank heard the door open, jolting upright. He was half passed out. He quickly got up, grabbed the bottle of alcohol from the table and scrambled for a place to hide it. His daughter was going to go off on him if she saw it, and he honestly didn't want to hear it. 

"Dad!" He heard her call out, and a few seconds later, she was in the kitchen. 

She put her hands on her hips. "There's no need to act like you haven't been drinking. I know you have been." 

He sighed. "Here you go, Camille." Camille couldn't help but notice that he was slightly slurring. Did he really think she wouldn't notice? 

"Dad, I'm just trying to help." 

"Well, it's not going to do anything. I'm your father, not a friend that you can easily tell what to do." He sat down at the table, looking down at the ground. She wanted him to look at her more than anything. 

She let out a deep sigh. "Sorry, dad. I just want the best for you. You know that." 

"Well, don't worry about that. Go let sumo out before he pisses all over the carpet, he already pissed on the side of the stove today." 

"You cleaned it up?" She wanted to ask how he had let the dog do that, but she already knew the answer. He was probably passed out, drunk. 

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm not that fucking inept." 

"Sorry. I just didn't know if you would need my help with it or anything. I didn't mean anything malicious by it." 

"Whatever. He probably needs to pee now." 

She didn't respond to him, just went to go find the dog. Sumo had been in the family for the longest, Camille loved that dog. She knew that her father did too, but it was just hard to care for him in times like this. She understood, even if she wished things were better. She wished some things didn't have to happen. That her brother could still be here, and that they could still be a family. But you couldn't change the past, so here she was. 

"Come on, Sumo." She said softly, leading the dog outside. 

She looked around to see if there were any messes to clean up just yet. Surprisingly, nothing was there just yet.   

This house was such a nice place, not only was it nice on the inside and outside, but it held so many good memories. It never reeked this much of alcohol, but walking around and looking around, Camille could put that aside for a bit. 

Not much had changed since she had moved out. She wondered if that was because her father didn't want to bother and do anything else with the place, or if it was just too nostalgic to change. She was hoping that it was the latter. 

"Do you want me to stay here?" Camille asked her father this same question every single night, and he always gave her the same answer. 

"No. You don't have to. I'll be fine." 

"Do you want help taking a shower?" 

"No. I'm not one of your patients. I know how to shower, I can do it myself if I really want to." 

'Then why do you reek?' She wanted to ask, but decided not to. Her father refusing everything she offered meant that the night was over. She wasn't going to be able to do anymore for him, he was going to refuse it all. 

She sighed and stepped towards her father, embracing him in a hug. His body felt stiff against hers. He barely made an effort to hug her back. She was used to this. 

"Bye dad." She said softly. 

"Bye, Camille." He told her, not even looking at her as she walked away. 

She would do anything to have him call her "honey" like he used to. 

XX 

The next day, the routine was identical. She went to work, did the usual, played some board games, entertained people, and left. 

Then, she went to her father's house. He was going to be in one of two positions, either up in the kitchen pretending that he wasn't drinking, or he would be passed out. 

She didn't hear him tumbling around when she put her keys in the lock, so she knew he had to be passed out. 

Now, she would have to get him cleaned up, and try and get him into bed for the night. 

When she stepped into the kitchen, he was on the ground, a bottle beside him, and something else she had never seen near him. 

A gun. 

Her father had once been a detective, so he always had firearms around the house for as long as she could remember. He always had one in a locked case, to protect the family in case of extreme emergency.

Camille recognized the gun beside him as the emergency gun. 

"Dad!" She shouted, knowing it would do nothing. She was just in a state of panic. 

She moved his head around slowly, checking for any visible wounds or anything of that nature. There was nothing. She checked for a pulse. He was still alive, luckily. 

So many questions were running through her mind. Why did he have the gun out? Was he planning something? 

"Dad!" She called out again, shaking his body a bit. 

She went to the sink, grabbed a glass, and filled it with cold water. 

She quickly ran back over to her father, and splashed the cold water onto his face. It was the only thing she could think of. When he didn't respond, she did it again. And again. And again. 

He opened his eyes slowly. "Ah... Jesus. Camille?" He asked, adjusting to everything. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you had to work." 

"I did go to work. And then I came here, like I do every day. And I found you with a gun out, the EMERGENCY gun. Why is out, dad? Did something happen?" 

He slowly sat up. Usually he would need help, but this time, he willed himself to do it. He didn't want her to find him here with the gun. "It was nothing. It was fucking stupid. I'm not here, you got nothing to worry about. Let Sumo out and head home. Nothing bad is going to happen here." 

She wasn't convinced. "I'll let Sumo out, but I'm staying here for the night. I'm going to put the gun away, too." 

"No, you're fucking not-" He started, but a sudden surging pain in his head made him stop in his tracks. 

"I am. I'm helping you get cleaned up. I'm making sure you go to bed. And then, I'm staying." 

"What the fuck ever." He said, falling back onto the ground. For most people, acting like this around your daughter would be embarrassing and wrong, but he didn't see any problem with it. He didn't need to be babied. He was the one that had changed her diapers when she was younger and cleaned her up whenever she got herself into a mess, he didn't want her to do the same for him. THAT was what was embarrassing to him. 

She did the usual, and this time, he surprisingly didn't complain as much. She got him some clothes out, and waited until he got out of the shower. 

She listened occasionally and called in to him just to make sure he didn't pass out or anything of the sort. 

Once he walked out, she helped him get into bed. 

"Goodnight, dad." She said, smiling at him. She wanted a smile back, but she hadn't gotten one of those in a long time. 

Then, she got up and began to walk away, until she heard her father say her name, softly. 

"Camille." 

"What?" She asked. He never called out for her when she left his room for the night. 

"The gun case is under the bed. Just get it out and put the gun in there, and it'll be fine." 

That wasn't what she was hoping for him to say, but that didn't matter. "You still didn't tell me why you had it out in the first place." She said, meeting his eye. He kept contact for a few seconds before looking away. 

"It doesn't matter. Just put it in the case, please." 

She didn't respond, just dug under the bed for the case. She found it, and tucked it under her arm. 

"Okay, dad. Goodnight." She tried again. Still nothing. 

She walked out into the kitchen, and picked up the gun. After inspecting it a bit, she realized it was loaded. This made her even more nervous. 

She gently placed the gun into the case, and simply set it on the table, since her father hadn't specified where he wanted it. 

Then, she cleaned the rest of the kitchen. 

She couldn't stop looking at that damn gun case. This wasn't something she could simply look past. 

Something needed to change. She didn't know how to make it change, since she had been trying for years, but now she was going to try harder. 

XX 

A/N: well here's the first chapter! Simple intros and such. Don't worry, we're going to learn way more later on! We'll get to see Connor eventually too! 

I'm so excited to start this, you guys have no idea hehehe. But I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and are excited to see what's going to unfold. Any questions on the timeline or anything of the sort just refer to the first chapter, or ask me! I'll answer if I can(if i can't it just means that it'll be revealed later and I don't wanna spoil you ;) ) 

But yeah, thanks for reading! Love you all!!


	3. 2.

Camille had heard of androids, of course she did. 

They were everywhere. People had them in their houses, some of them worked in stores, some delivered packages, it was impossible to avoid them. Some were even in the police department, Camille wondered how her dad would've reacted to that one. They were also starting to take over other jobs now too, and Camille and her fellow work peers often wondered if they would one day lose their jobs. It seemed like a stretch, but in this day it was a possibility. 

She often felt herself wonder how much her father left the house. Obviously, he did to buy more alcohol. And food whenever he needed it. But he never went out of his way to care for himself, and this fact made Camille upset. She wanted to help her father, more than anything. But there was only so much that she could do. 

She came over to his house every single day after work. Sometimes, she even canceled plans just so she could check if he was okay. Obviously, it wasn't enough. 

Was her father meaning to kill himself last night with that gun? If so, what had stopped him? 

Androids were supposed to do whatever you asked, and since they were robots, they were committed to their job and just their job. 

Camille wanted to get one for her father. It could help clean up when she wasn't around, and it could make sure he never took that damn gun out again. 

She was going to visit him after work, like she usually did. But as soon as she left, she was going to take a look at androids. 

XX 

"I'm thinking about buying an android." Camille told one of her work friends, Kacee, as she was helping pick up some extra plates in the activities room. Kacee worked in dietary, meaning she managed the food that the patients got. She was a year younger than Camille. 

Kacee immediately turned to her, giving her a look that Camille could only describe as disgust. "Are you fucking kidding? Those things are so expensive, and for what? You know how to cook and clean, don't waste your money." 

"It's not for me." Camille said. "It's for my father. He hasn't been doing so well. I've been helping him out the best that I can, but it's obvious it's not enough." 

"Oh, yeah. Hank." 

Everyone, for the most part, knew of Camille's father. He was so well renowned and well known that he was just one of those names that everyone heard at least once in their lifetime if they were to talk about detective work, and even sometimes in general. He was just someone that when you heard the name, you knew exactly who it was. Even if you never met the man. 

"Yeah, I just think it would help a lot. And as for the money, I've been saving up some for a house. I'll just use it for that instead, I didn't have enough for a house yet anyways." Camille told her friend with a shrug. 

"You know, you have to realize that you can't save him if he's already too far gone, Camille. If he wants this life for himself, you can't change that." 

Camille immediately gave the blond a glare. "He's my father. It's not exactly that easy to watch someone you care about do this to themselves." 

Kacee reached, patting the other woman's back. "That was out of line. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant... you can't play savior and white knight for everyone. It doesn't always work." 

Camille said nothing. She supposed her friend was right. But it didn't matter. She was still going to try and find a way to save her father. There has to be some way, and she was going to find it. 

XX 

"I'm looking for one that can help around the house. Just clean, take a dog out... and also just be able to look out for a person." Camille told the worker that wasn't occupied at the moment. As late as it was, the place was still buzzing. 

"Over on this side are various house assistants, some better than others. It all depends on what you need. You getting it for an old relative or something?" The worker asked. 

"Something like that." 

He showed her the various models and explained what they could do, and all Camille could do was stare in amazement. These things really did look like humans, and with all of their special features, they might as well be. 

She took a bit to look at them, not knowing what to get her father. There were so many different ones, that it shocked Camille. She figured finding one of these would be like finding an iPhone, that they released androids model by model. But that wasn't the case, she could get anything she possibly wanted. 

The prices were all $5,000 and up. Some were near $10,000, because they were said to have extra features. She wasn't sure what they could be, because all of the ones she'd seen so far could do all of the basics. 

One did up end up catching her eye, solely because it was in the used section, so it was considerably cheaper. Still thousands of dollars of course, but not as bad. 

She grabbed the worker that she was speaking to before. 

"I'd like that one." She said, pointing to the used one she was just looking at. It was a male model, with dark hair. The looks didn't matter that much, though. She knew some weird people probably bought them for their own sick purposes, but she wanted one that could help with her father, and that was that. 

The worker reached up, and powered the android on, and began speaking to it, asking it to register it's name. 

"Have any specific names you would like to call your new android?" 

She thought for a moment. "Co..." She started, stopping herself. That wouldn't be good. Not for her, not for her father. 

The worker was staring at her. She had to come up with something. "Co..." She started again, mentally cursing herself. "Co... Connor. Connor sounds good." She said, smiling. The worker probably thought she was insane, but that didn't matter. 

"My name is Connor." The android said immediately, giving her a slight smile. She realized immediately that she liked the voice that he had. It was soothing to her. 

She had to sign some papers before bringing her new android home, about the warranty and her payment option. 

"Anderson? Like Hank Anderson?" The person behind the desk asked, squinting at the documents. 

This was a question that Camille hated getting, but it was inevitable. "Yeah. He's my father." 

"Oh! Camille! You're his daughter, that's right! I remember hearing your name a few times." 

Camille simply nodded. There was nothing more that she could say. "Well, thanks." She said, smiling. 

She motioned for the android to follow her outside. 

She was going to bring Connor to her father tomorrow. But for now, he was going to have to stay in Camille's house. 

XX 

She had been given a book, on some instructions and tips. She decided to keep it handy, just in case she wanted to know how to do anything. The book was of course something that she could download directly to her phone. She was emailed the link. 

"What do you need me to do?" Connor asked as she read from her phone. 

"Nothing, as of now. You're not going to be my android. You're going to be my dad, Hank's. He needs help around his house, he's not doing too well." 

"Is he sick?" 

'Why do you care? You're an android.' She wanted to say, but decided against it. "Kind of. Just things have been hard lately, and I don't want him to do anything bad to himself." 

"What should I call you?" 

"My name is Camille. You can just call me that. I'm still going to be at his house a lot, so you'll see me. But you're going to be helping him a lot." She didn't know why she was telling all of this to a robot. She knew that these androids were extremely intelligent, but that didn't mean that they could form connections with people. Connor didn't care where she was, or if he would ever see her again. That wasn't his job, why would he? 

She studied him for a moment. She saw how much work it probably took to craft him. She noticed the glowing circle on the side of his head. It was glowing. She reached out to touch it, fixated for some reason. 

As soon as she touched it, the color changed from blue to a yellow. She pulled her hand back, thinking she did something. 

"What was that?" She asked out loud, more to herself than anyone. 

"I thought I was in danger." Connor said simply. 

She stared at the robot. This was getting weird. Really weird. 

"I'm gonna head to bed now. Uh... shut down?" She asked out loud, hoping it was a valid command. 

"I will shut down." 

She smiled. "Great. Goodnight." 

XX 

When Camille woke up, she immediately went to go turn Connor on. She was intrigued by him , and just how he worked. He told her last night he thought he was in danger, how could a robot know what danger was? Maybe they were programmed to recognize certain signs or something, it was the only explanation that she could come up with. 

"You seem hungry. Would you like me to make you some food?" Was the first thing Connor said to her. 

"Uh... sure." She said, realizing that there couldn't be anything wrong with that. Her father was going to be surprised to see her before she went to work, with an android nonetheless. She sat down at the table. 

"How do you like your eggs?" Connor asked, digging through the fridge. 

"Sunny side up." She quickly answered. This was so odd to her. But it would help her father out a lot. 

She watched as the android expertly cooked the eggs, amazed. These things really were good, weren't they? 

He set the plate down in front of her a few minutes later. He even made a few pieces of toast, so that she could dip them in the egg yolk. 

She dug in immediately, not containing her hunger any longer. At that very moment, she realized that she didn't eat dinner the previous night. 

"What do you think?" She heard Connor ask. 

"I think," She started, in between bites. "...that you're going to be great for my father." 

XX 

Hank was surprised to hear the key turning in the door so early. What the hell was Camille doing here right now? He had just woken up a bit ago. 

"Camille?" He asked once he heard the door open, even though he knew that it was her. 

"Yes dad. And I got you something!" She answered excitedly. 

"Oh, god. What is it?" He asked from the kitchen. Sumo walked in there along with him, excited because of the sudden noise. 

"Hold on, let me get him." 

"Him? What the fuck? I swear, if you got me another fuckin' dog..." 

She walked in just then, with what looked like another person behind her. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was android, those things were huge now. 

"Camille..." 

"Dad. I can't be here all of the time. I just wanted to get you some extra help. He can cook, clean, bring Sumo out, just tell him and he'll do it." She was smiling. She knew her father wasn't going to be ecstatic by any means, but she was hoping for a better reaction than this at least. 

"Camille, you don't have to act like I'm completely fuckin' inept. You didn't need to spend thousands of dollars on this thing. I swear, why can't you just let it be?" 

"You're my dad. Would you just let it be if it were me?" 

Hank didn't answer, he didn't know what to tell her, if he was being honest. 

Connor just stood awkwardly, watching everything go down. 

"Anyways, this is Hank. He's my father. Just do what he says." She told the robot. 

"Will do." He responded. 

"And dad, this is Connor." 

"Connor? You gave it a name?" Hank asked, disgust dripping from his voice. 

"You have to. And it was just the first one that came to mind. So that's his name. It's Connor." 

"Oh, now it's HE." Hank scoffed. 

"Dad, they're supposed to be like humans. I know it's a robot. But he can talk to you, too. I don't know, just have him help out when I'm not here. You shouldn't have to wait for me everyday. I'm still going to come here, of course I will. I just thought extra help would be a good thing." 

'You shouldn't have to clean up after me.' He almost said, but took it back almost immediately. He knew his daughter was going to argue. "Fine." 

And just as he said that, Sumo walked towards the stove. 

"Don't you dare!" Hank told the dog, as if he would respond. 

He lifted his leg up just as Hank yelled at him. 

"Great, just great." He said as he watched the dog pee. 

Then he walked away, as if nothing happened. 

"You didn't let him out yet?" Camille asked. 

"No." He told her. "I just woke up. And now. I've already got a piss stain to clean up. Great." 

"That's what I got Connor for." 

"Well, why isn't he fuckin' cleaning the piss?" 

Connor rushed to grab paper towels. "On it now, sorry Hank." 

He cleaned it up in record time. 

Camille smiled at her father. She was expecting him to smile back, but he didn't. 

He wouldn't lie, having this thing around to help clean would be a bit good. But, it didn't change the fact that he already hated it. There was just something about it that ticked him off. 

He just hoped the thing would do the cleaning that he asked, and that would be it. He was pissed at Camille for buying it, but there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to get rid of it, he knew that she'd get another one. There was no winning with that girl, it seemed. 

So, he was stuck with Connor.


	4. 3.

There was a point in her life where Camille had dreamed to be a great detective just like her father. She always loved hearing his stories about cases he took, even if he would change some things to make them a bit more child friendly. 

Her father had always told her that she had a "detective mind" like him, and that she was always fast and good at figuring things out. Like on those silly kids shows on the TV, where you would have to solve the mystery of who stole the crayons. She always loved watching them, and as she got older, she began to watch more and more mystery based and detective based shows. Anything to deal with solving a crime was great entertainment for her. Cole would sit beside her and watch the kiddie ones just as she did, because her father told her he wasn't quite ready to see Criminal Minds yet. 

She and Cole had always played detective with each other, as well. Even if she was quite a bit older, it was cool to have someone to pretend with, since being a detective was always her dream. She loved having a brother, since her dad was tired when he came home, and never wanted to play. When Cole was born, she had only just become a teenager. She still had a lot of imagination and play in her. 

Cole had of course had this detective dream too, as well as the "detective mind". Hank said he was glad that they were both smart just like him. He would always follow that phrase with a laugh. Cole was just like Camille was when she was young, and it made her so happy for some odd reason. They could be a family of detectives, how cool was that? 

As she got older, she was still interested in this dream. But now, she was working on making it a reality. As high school went on more and more, she would talk to her father and the school counselor about colleges, and began to apply early. She wasn't a straight A student by any means, but she put in effort and got pretty good grades, and was ready to take it to the next level. She was actually excited about college, and being able to take classes based on exactly what she wanted to do. 

She got accepted into a few schools that she applied to, and everyday she was faced with the choice: what college should she end up going to? 

After Cole died, her father decided on an early retirement. He wasn't made to be a detective anymore, that was what he had said. 

Camille had decided that maybe this was true for her too. She couldn't make herself go to college knowing that her brother would never be able to do the same. So, she let all of the envelopes sit on the table, until one day she decided to throw them in with recycling. She wasn't going to go to college. 

And after that, she started looking for jobs, and decided to stay at home with her father, because he was getting in bad condition. She figured she'd help him get back on his feet, even if she was barely on her own, and even if the two were living in completely different worlds now. 

But, at this point, they were both already too far gone. 

XX 

Hank hated having this damn thing in his house. What was his daughter thinking? He knew that she had good intentions, but she should've consulted him about this. 

The thing creeped him out. It was a robot, roaming around his house. He didn't trust technology, it had been used to do evil things in the past, and who knew what these things could be capable of if someone fucked with their code. 

Connor(as his daughter called him, so he supposed he would have to call the thing that name if needed), looked just like any other person, if you could get past the glowing circle on his head. He really did. And that creeped Hank out all the more. 

"Can I help you with anything, Hank?" The thing asked, walking up behind him. 

Hank nearly jumped, he hadn't felt his heart beat as fast as it was now in years. "No, I don't need help." He said, giving the robot a glare. 

"Are you sure? I'll do anything-" 

"I don't need help. Just be quiet." He scoffed and stepped away. The thing obeyed and didn't utter another word, which Hank liked. He liked that it followed orders, and that he didn't have to hear it if he didn't want to. 

He would have Camille bring Sumo out if he needed when she came home, he didn't exactly trust Connor with his dog just yet. He didn't think he ever would. 

Hank walked out of Connor's sight, not wanting the thing watching him. Who knew who was behind the robot on a secret camera, these things could just be a ploy. He had no idea, and he didn't want to know either. Things like these perfect robots felt too good to be true. But there was nothing he could do. 

Suddenly, a thought came over him. Maybe he didn't like the damn thing and didn't trust it around the house, but he could be helpful for something. 

"Hey Connor." He said, stepping back into view. 

"Yes, Hank?" 

"I found some use for you. Go get me some alcohol. I'm running low." 

"Sure, Hank. Anything specific you would like?" 

"Some strong shit. I don't know. Just get me anything you can, with leaving a reasonable amount in my account." 

"Can I have your account info?" 

This made Hank do a double take. This was how they were going to get him, wasn't it. "I don't think I trust that. I'll just get it myself or have Camille-" 

"Hank, the information will only be used when you tell me to use it. That's what I'm programmed for." 

"You know what, fine. But if someone steals my information, I'll break you in half." 

XX 

Camille arrived at her father's the same time Connor was walking back, a bag in his hand. She recognized that bag, of course. The liquor store. 

"Connor!" She called out, and the robot turned around. 

"Yes, Camille?" 

"Did my dad tell you to buy that stuff?" She asked, cocking a brow. 

"Yes, he did. That's why I got it. He was reluctant to give me his account info at first, but he had enough to get some." 

"Oh, Yeah. I remember the person at the store talking about how I'd have to input more info in you eventually. My bad. But give me the bad." 

"Hank asked-" 

She snatched the bag from Connor before he could finish what he was saying. "I don't want him to have this. Alcohol makes him do bad things. Nothing good comes out of him drinking it, it doesn't make him any happier." 

She stepped past him and opened the door. "Would you like me to dump it?" Connor asked, Walking just behind her. 

"I can do it. And I'll send my dad whatever was paid for this so it wasn't a waste of his money. Don't listen to him when he says buy alcohol." 

Connor looked to the side, and his light flashed. Maybe he was making a mental note? 

"Camille?" She heard her father call out, and she rushed into the kitchen, the bag still in hand. 

Hank saw it immediately. "Oh, what the hell. Look, I just didn't want him around and have him something to do." 

"Dad." She said, looking him in the eyes. She felt as thought she could cry. "I don't want you to do this to yourself. Don't use him for that stuff. Just please..." 

"There's nothing you can do, Camille. I know you think I shouldn't drink as much as I do, but what else is there for me to do? Just give me the stuff, or I'll go and get more myself." 

"Dad, no. You can't do that. I won't let you." 

"I'm sorry. But I'm already past the point of this ever becoming better. You know it, I know it. Hell, I was playing Russian Roulette with that gun the other night just to see how long I would last, but I soon realized I was too scared. I can't kill myself. At least not like that. So why not do it slowly each day?" He didn't mean to say all of that in front of his daughter, but he couldn't keep it in forever. 

She immediately pulled him for a hug, tears in her eyes. "Dad... I don't want you to die." 

"We all have to die, Camille. I wish we didn't, but we do." 

She clung to him tighter. This time, he hugged her back, ever so slightly. "I know, but I don't want you to do it early or do it to yourself. I wouldn't want to lose you like that, just please..." 

He didn't answer, and the two just stood in each other's arms for a few moments. Camille desperately wished that they had never drifted apart like they did. 

She wanted to stay in that position forever, but her father soon pulled away. 

"I think you should go home." He told her. 

"Okay, dad." She replied, sniffling. Sentimental moments just weren't Hank's thing anymore, he didn't know how to handle things like that anymore. 

Before she left, she whispered to Connor, "Make sure he doesn't go near the gun. And dump all of the alcohol." She handed him the bag. "Please. I just want him to be safe." 

XX 

A/N: it's Hank's birthday, so y'all know I had to put out a chapter. Happy birthday, dad.


	5. 4.

Camille didn't like the color orange. 

Nobody would know that unless they asked, though, because her entire kitchen was painted the color. 

The countertops, the cabinets, they were all a bright orange. 

Inviting people over was always fun, they would walk into the kitchen with wide eyes and scan everything. 

"It was like this when I moved in. The landlord said I couldn't repaint. I just learned to live with it." She would tell them with a chuckle. 

But it wasn't true. When she moved in, everything was painted mostly white, but it was chipping and things were in need of redoing. 

Her landlord had told her that the kitchen was in need to be redone and that they could fix t up for her, and he had asked her what color that she would like everything. 

A few colors came to mind. Brown. White again. Maybe even black, shake things up a bit. 

But instead, Cole's voice rang in her mind. 

She remembered one time that he had asked her to draw with him, just a few mere months before he died. 

He was creating his own mystery world, and drawing the bad guy. 

"What color should I make him?" Cole had asked her, looking up at her with those innocent blue eyes of his. He loved colors, he thought in them. He never drew characters or people the actual way that they look, he instead always gave them extravagant skin colors, hair colors, and eye colors. Camille had jokingly asked him before if he was drawing aliens from space, but Cole had just told her no, that they were people just like them. He was too pure for his own good. 

"Orange. It's an ugly color, and the bad person is ugly, right?" Camille had said, chuckling. 

"Orange isn't ugly! It's my favorite color!!" He said, frowning at his crayons. 

"Oh. Well, make him your least favorite color then!" 

She knew that things like this weren't healthy, and that this was probably an unhealthy coping habit. 

But still, she told her landlord, clear as day. "Orange. Make it orange." 

He had cocked a brow, clearly a bit baffled. "Orange? You sure?" 

"Yes. I am." 

And to this day, the kitchen was an orange that hurt her eyes, but somehow, whenever she entered, she smiled. 

XX 

Camille wasn't the only one with unhealthy coping mechanisms either. 

Hank's were a bit more obvious. The drinking and suicidal tendencies were of course the biggest ones, but there were others as well. 

When his wife had decided to leave, he got rid of all photos of her around the house. He didn't want to think of her at all, after what had happened between them, and how she was towards the kids. 

If there were photos of her with the kids, he would take new pictures of the kids to replace them, or just throw them away entirely. 

With Cole, the pictures of he and Camille were still around the house. In fact, Coke's toys and drawings could still be found, he didn't want to bother and pick them up. How could he just put his son's life into a box and give it away somewhere? Cole didn't deserve that. He was taken away far too soon. 

Cole would have been about nine now. Nine year olds still played with toys and such, maybe he would've been into video games. He didn't really know, he had only been able to fully raise Camille, who was a girl. A tomboy, sure, but having both of them made him realize the contrast between the two sexes. 

Maybe in a few years he'd get rid of the toys and such, when Cole would have gotten rid of them. At least that's what he told himself. 

Of course he knew that his son wasn't alive, but he couldn't bear to get rid of his things and treat it as if he never existed. He had two children, and he always would. Just because Cole was gone, didn't mean he was less of his son. 

He would sometimes torture himself and stare at the photos around his home, remembering the exact days and time they were taken. 

There was the Christmas photos, taken with Santa and in front of the tree. 

Since Camille had already been a teenager then, she was easy to get ready. He would let her pick what she wanted to wear, and that would be that. When she was younger, she was hell to get ready. She hated trying clothes on. She hated having to have her hair done different ways than it's usual ponytail. Camille was a regular pain in the ass. 

He had expected Cole to be the same, especially since he was a young boy. But he wasn't, not at all. He didn't mind Hank picking out new outfits and having try them on, to see what looked best. He didn't care at all, and he didn't mind having to pose for pictures. When Camille was younger, any photo shoot that lasted longer than five minutes ended in her screaming, and Hank had to always bribe her with toys and such if she was good. 

Cole did get toys, just like Camille did, but his were given because he was good all the way through. 

Then there were the more abstract photo shoots. When Cole was freshly two, and Camille fifteen, Hank wanted to get new pictures done. They did it every year for their birthdays. 

Camille was moody, she was going through puberty like most teens her age. She was acting like a brat at first, and then he told her that she had to set an example for her baby brother, and she quieted down immediately. 

She enjoyed getting Cole ready more than she enjoyed getting herself ready. She loved helping him, which was strange because she barely cared about and wanted to help herself. 

This has shown throughout the years. As Camille got older, she of course matured and became less of a pain. But Cole, he had always stayed the well tempered kid he always was. 

Hank just wished that he would've been given the chance to grow up. 

Hank and Camille both wondered what it would have been like if one of them were taken instead. It would be better, they had supposed. Little Cole wouldn't have had his life cut short. 

They were all in the car that day, Hank and Camille had wound up with only injuries and a bit of PTSD, and Cole had been dead immediately, at least that's what the doctors had sad. His sister and father both hoped that he didn't have to suffer at all. 

It was an icy day, Hank contemplated driving, but figured that he could just go quickly and get everyone home safely. 

He wished he was that lucky. To this day, he never drove in the winter weather ever again. He tried it once, and had a flashback to that day in the middle of the drive, and had to hit the brakes in the middle of the street. He was lucky something didn't happen that day too. 

"If he was still here, he would probably have awful PTSD. I wouldn't want to see him like that. I still have flashbacks of that day, don't you?" Camille had asked him just a couple years ago. 

He contemplated answering her, yelling her that yes he did. That he thought about it every single day. That he wished it was something that didn't have to happen. But instead, he stayed quiet and turned away from his daughter. 

Camille frowned down at the ground. Ever since the accident, her father didn't want to talk to her anymore. She had been 17 when her brother died, and she was still young and in need of guidance. But now, things were so much different. 

The relationship that they had was now severed, and she didn't know what she could do to fix it. 

XX 

Connor was in the kitchen, spraying and wiping up the countertops and everything around. 

"Where's my dad?" Camille asked him, reaching down to pet Sumo, as he ran out to greet her. 

"He's in his room. He told me to stay out here and not go near him." He told her, not looking away from what he was doing. 

"Is he okay?" She asked, furrowing her brows. She knew her dad wasn't too keen on Connor, but she hoped he wasn't doing anything crazy. 

"He's fine. I went in to check on him. He was staring at the wall. He spent all day looking the pictures around. When I went to check on him in his room, he told me to clean and leave him alone." 

That sounded like her father alright. "The pictures?" Camille asked, even though she knew the answer. 

"Yes, he was staring at them and I even saw him tear up a bit." 

"He was probably thinking about my brother. We lost him in a car accident. He blames himself. We haven't really talked about it much since it happened, but that's when he turned to alcohol. I tried to talk to him, really I did, but he would rather drink instead. I've tried to stop him. But it's not possible." She sighed. She didn't know why she was saying all of this, but she supposed it felt good to get it off her chest. 

"Do you blame yourself?" 

Why would he ask that? She hadn't really ever thought about it. "Yeah, kind of. I wish it would have been me instead. Cole was way too young when he died. He didn't even get to finish the first grade." 

"If it were you, wouldn't your father feel the same that he does now?" 

"I guess so. You're right. I just wish that none of us had to get hurt, honestly. But if someone had to, I wish it would've been me rather than my little brother." 

Connor didn't respond, he just continued to clean. 

"I'll go and see if I can talk to him." She said, and then went to her father's room. The door was unlocked. 

"Dad." She said, stepping in slowly. Her father was sitting on the end of bed, looking at the wall, just as Connor had said. 

"Camille. Shit. Don't fuckin' scare me like that." He said, taking a deep breath. 

"I'm sorry. Are you okay? Connor said you were a bit on edge and seemed upset." 

"Tell him to screw off. He doesn't know shit about me, or even about human emotions. He's a damn robot." 

She looked down. "Talk to me about it. I know how it is. Just please dad, talk to me." 

"There's nothing to say." 

"He was my brother, you know. I was in the car. I have dreams about it. Sometimes, when I see little kids, I think they're Cole. I still hear his voice sometimes. I wish it was me all the time. I know exactly how you feel, why won't you talk to me and tell me what's going on? Maybe you'll feel better." 

"I can talk, but what exactly can it do? It doesn't bring him back. It doesn't change that I made a stupid decision that day. It doesn't change the fact that I'm responsible." 

She stepped closer to him, and sat next to him. He didn't move away, like he normally would. "You're not. It's not your fault. You didn't know it would happen. If you did, you wouldn't have done it." 

"I knew that it COULD happen, Camille. But what did I do? I still went and took you both along, because I thought I could stay safe. Well, it turns out I couldn't. And I think about it everyday. Yes, you were there, but you weren't driving. You're not the one that made the decision." 

"You tried to help him. We both did. They said that he died immediately. We couldn't have done anything. I wish it was different too. But we can't change it. We just can't." 

"We can wish all we want, but will it bring my son and your brother back? It won't. He would've been nearing ten now." 

"I know, dad. I know. I wish it was me instead. I wish Cole could've lived as long as we are." 

He wanted to tell her not to wish something like that, that he didn't want her dead instead. But the words just couldn't make their way out. So instead, he turned away from his daughter yet again. 

XX 

A/N: happy belated bday Cole. I was trynna get this out yesterday but ya know. Things happen. 

I have an angsty Hank one shot coming out later too, based on a panic! song ;) 

Thanks for reading, and as always, all the love to all of you!!


	6. 5.

"Hey, how's your father like his new robot friend?" 

Camille jumped when she heard the words whispered in her ear, hitting her head on one of the medicine shelves. "Ow! Shit." She mumbled to herself, looking up to see Kacee laughing. 

"Don't sneak up on people like that! That's how you get punched." Camille told her friend with a chuckle. 

"I wish you would. Geez, I was just asking you a question." 

"No, you actually scared the hell out of me. But to answer your question, no. He hates it with a passion." 

"Really? He doesn't like the extra help? Didn't he like the help that you give him?" 

Camille shrugged. "Not really, if I'm being honest. I'm the one that wanted to help him. I knew he wouldn't help himself. After he started turning to alcohol, he just stopped caring about self care. I can't let that happen to my own father, you know?" 

"I understand completely. Maybe he just doesn't like the fact that he's now relying on the person that grew up relying on him." 

Camille considered this. It was a good point. She just wished that her father saw that the path that he was going down wouldn't end well. "I guess. I just want him to be okay, that's all." 

"Are you doing okay?" 

"I'm doing fine." Camille answered all too quickly, Kacee gave her a glare. 

"You sure?" 

"I'm sure. I'll be fine." 

Kacee gave Camille a pat on the back, smiling at her. "Remember, you need to care for yourself too. Now, I gotta go get some stuff done before Brenda gets on my ass." 

Camille nodded, and she walked out of the room. Brenda could be a real pain in the ass sometimes. 

Ever since the incident with gun(and even a bit before then), Camille felt herself get nervous about going to her father's. What would she find this time? What if he wasn't okay, and she had missed the chance to help him? 

Connor was supposed to help with this, but he didn't. Androids only did what you told them. And her father hated Connor, and didn't want help with anything ever. It was almost as if she had wasted all of that money for nothing. At least he would help keep the house clean. And at least he would TRY and keep her father safe, right? She had told him to do so. 

She guessed she would have to see when she went to see him today. Right now, she had board games to play. 

XX 

Humans were weird. 

Connor couldn't help but realize this. 

Hank and Camille Anderson were especially weird to him. Whenever he saw androids with families, they were all happy. Went for walks together. Always together. 

But Hank and Camille, they were truly something else. They were so distanced, if he had no clue that Camille was Hank's daughter he would've thought that she was a housekeeper or something of the sort. 

Hank had already had an angry fit today, Connor was simply dusting off some photos and decided to start the vacuum, and Hank thought that Connor was following him around the house. 

"Stay away, you fuckin' android. Just clean." He spat, going into his room and slamming the door. 

Connor remembered what Camille had told him. He had to look out for Hank, at least a little bit. 

He had knocked on the door, calling his name a few times. Hank just responded with a lovely "fuck off". He wasn't in any danger far as he could tell, so he just left him alone and we to clean the rest of the house. 

After he was done, he checked around, looking at all of the pictures and things around. There wasn't a wife in hardly any of them. 

He went over and let the dog back inside, giving him a few pets. It was an odd sensation, to say the least. Sumo was a big dog that could be quite intimidating at first glance, but actually wasn't that scary at all when you were actually around him. 

He heard the door open up, and in walked Camille. She had her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail, and there were dark circles under eyes. 

"Is he alright?" She asked immediately. "Where is he?" 

"He went into his room again, and made it clear that he doesn't want to be bothered. He's fine, though." 

She nodded. "Okay, as long as he's fine. I guess I'll go and see him in a minute." She took a few steps and crouched down to pet Sumo, who was lying on the floor. 

"Hey, boy. You been good today. Aw, look at that face. Of course you have!" She cooed, smiling down at the dog. 

Connor didn't understand this. Why was she talking like that? Why was the dog so interested in her when she spoke like that? 

"So everything's done?" She asked, standing up and dusting herself off, in case of any dog hair. 

"Yes, everything has been cleaned. He didn't have anything to drink today, which may be why he is angry." He told her. 

"Yeah, I guess if you become addicted to something you can't jus give it up. I'm glad I didn't turn to that stuff." 

"What did you turn to? Why are you doing so much better than he is?" 

She wanted to say that she really wasn't, but she resisted. Why was he asking this, anyway? "I just turned to working, I guess. I couldn't focus on school, I wanted to become a detective or a police officer, but school just wasn't my thing after my brother died. Helping people at work made me feel better. I like my job, it's a good distraction. But I still have nightmares about the crash, and sometimes I swear I hear him. But I know he's not there." She didn't know why she was telling him all of this, but androids were supposed to be companions too, right? 

"It's good that you have something, at least." Connor said. He didn't know what else to add. How did you comfort someone going through something like this? He had no idea, his program may have had the answers to almost anything, but that's something that he couldn't quite find. "Hey, do you have a coin?" 

"Uh, Yeah." She said, reaching into her pocket. A few seconds later, she held up a penny. "Why?" 

"I just want to show you something." He told her, taking the coin from her. He began to flip it around and do cool tricks with it, a talent that was in his program. He figured that it would make her smile, or at least get her mind off of bad stuff. 

She watched, wondering how the hell he was doing it. Sure, he was a robot, but a robot made to look like a human. A person could never do something like that, at least she had never seen it. "That's cool. How'd you learn to do that?" 

"It's in my program. I just figured it could make you smile, since things can be stressful for you around here. Your levels of stress right now aren't healthy." 

She smiled at him. Where the hell did this come from? What the? "Well thank you, I appreciate it. And I'm fine, I just worry about my father a lot. Especially after he had the gun out. If I came any later, he could've been gone." 

"Somewhere, I'm sure he knows that you care about him." 

"All he ever does is push me away when I try and talk to him. He can't even look at me anymore, it seems. We're both guilty, but in the end, all we have is each other. I just don't want to lose him too." 

"You won't. I'm here to keep him safe, and you help too." 

"Thank you, Connor. I appreciate it. I just miss my brother so much. Why did he have to die then, why did we have to live? I know he was little and got the most impact and was dead instantly, but me and my father... we didn't even need to have anything done to us. We had scratches and were in pain for the next few days, but that was nothing." 

"Survivor's guilt is what you two are experiencing. It's not easy to get over. But do you think your brother would want to see you guys like this?" 

"If he were here... or seeing this... I don't know what he'd think. Is there something after death? Can he be here right now?" 

"I don't know what it's like after death, Camille. I can't even die. I'm not even alive." 

She looked up at him, her eyes darting to the glowing circle on his head. "What does blue mean?" 

"Content." 

"Content? If you're not alive, how can you feel content? And if you're not alive, how did you feel the nervous the night I first got you?" 

"It's just how I was designed. I was designed to seem as human as can be, but I'm not alive. Content, nervous, those words are just all in my program. That's why I know exactly what they mean. But I don't know feelings." 

That made no sense to Camille. But she nodded anyways. "That's strange." 

"Humans are too." 

Camille chuckled. She couldn't really argue with that one, could she? "I guess all things are absurd and unexplainable. Why are you here talking to me, right now?" 

"My job is to please humans. So that's what I'm doing." 

"Well, thank you. I appreciate it. My father might think having you around is a pain in his ass, but I honestly don't mind it." She smiled at him. 

"It's my job." He replied, and she swore she could see the smallest hint of a smile on the android's face. 

She made her way into her father's room, to see if he was doing alright." 

XX 

A/N: shorter chapter, but we gotta love that Connor and Camille bonding right,,,, ugh my children


	7. 6.

Camille remembered a few things about her mom. The fact that she got mad easily. The fact that she liked vanilla scented things. That yellow was her favorite color.

But the thing that Camille remembered the most, the thing that she thought of immediately when her mom mentioned, was the fact that she had broken her heart twice. 

She looked up to her mom as a role model, and wanted to be just like her, at first. Until her mom kept pushing her away, and told her that she didn't have time to play. 

Camille didn't know why she didn't have the time, she was doing literally nothing else. She assumed that this meant that her mom hated her. 

She spent most of her time with her father whenever he was home, always wanting to hear his stories. That was how she gained an interest in detective work and everything about it. 

But when Camille was only 10, her mom left. She had a massive argument with Hank, and her final words were "I can't do this anymore." 

Camille didn't understand it. She was used to her parents arguing, but wasn't expecting her mom to leave. She knew that wasn't normal, that it wasn't supposed to happen. 

She hid behind the wall, and watched as her mother opened the door and walked out. Her father groaned and punched the wall, mumbling something under his breath. 

She stepped out a few seconds later. 

"Do you think that mom will be back soon?" She asked, hoping that he would say yes. She was clueless and naive, and wanted closure. She just wanted a happy family like everybody else. 

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with your mother. She can't just walk out, life doesn't work that way. I keep trying, and this is how she responds. I don't fuckin' get it." He replied, turning away. She didn't understand much of what he had said. 

"Was it something that I did? She gets mad at me a lot." Camille asked, walking over to the window, peeking outside. Her mother was long gone. 

Her father reached down and pulled her into a hug. "It's nothing you did. Don't ever say that. Sometimes, adults have problems. That's all. It has nothing to do with you." 

"But she always wants me to be away from her, maybe that's why she left. Maybe she doesn't want to be around me anymore." 

"Camille." He looked her in the eyes, and she saw a pain in them that she somehow understood. This was hitting him as hard and leaving him just as confused as her, and that just made her want to cry even more. 

Even if Camille and her mom weren't ever really the closest, the atmosphere of the Anderson household changed dramatically after she walked out. It became silent, and most people would call silent peaceful, but for Camille, the silence was so loud, even deafening. The silence was a constant reminder of her mother that was gone. It was painful, excruciating even. 

Hank often got babysitters for Camille, and that was always awkward. Camille was fairly easy to manage, as long as she stayed up in her room she didn't have to interact with the people that her dad hired. 

All of a sudden, she felt as if a wall had built up around her, and she didn't want to let anyone in. Normally, she was pretty good with socializing, but ever since her mom had left, she hardly spoke to anyone, not even her own father. 

She didn't understand any of this, or why it had to happen to her. And these emotions caused her to change dramatically. 

Teachers quickly became concerned, calling home and constantly making her go down and talk to the counselor. She didn't know what to say. She was too embarrassed to admit what had happened. What if her dad got angry? This wasn't normal, parents weren't supposed to leave, right? 

Her father and her 4th grade teacher had a meeting while she was sitting in the back of the room, working on some papers that she hadn't completed in class. 

"There's something wrong with Camille. She hasn't been herself lately, and I can't help but become a bit concerned. She hardly speaks, she'll stare off into space rather than completing her work, which is unlike her. Is there something going on with her? Has anything happened to her recently that would cause these changes?" 

Hank let out an obvious sigh, not sure how to answer. He understood that this was his daughter's teacher and that she would of course be concerned about Camille's well being. But there was only so much that a teacher should know, at least to him. Maybe he just didn't want to admit to this person that he didn't know that his wife had left and still hadn't come back, and that he didn't even know if she was going to. "There is. Just some... issues between her mother and I. It's not easy, but we're trying to work on it. I know it's tough on her. But I can assure you, it's nothing that's going to last forever." It was a bit of a fabrication on their current situation, but it didn't matter. She didn't need every little detail, it wasn't like there was anything that she could do about it anyways. 

The teacher nodded. "I see." She said, then she met his eyes and lowered her voice. "There is no abuse or anything of the sort going on, right?" 

Hank felt his eyes widen. Who was she to assume such a thing? His initial reaction to this statement was anger, but he kept it in. "No. There's not. What's going on is between my wife and I. Nothing is happening to Camille. But it's still hitting her pretty hard, like it would any kid." 

"I'm sorry if you felt I was assuming something awful. I just have to be sure. She's been shutting herself off from everyone, even the people that she spoke to before. She sits by herself during recess now, and during lunch as well. Even if she is sitting with others, she doesn't speak to them. The kids as well as the people working in the cafeteria have seen it. I just have to be sure that nothing else is going on, because this is quite concerning." 

"I understand. But this stuff is hard for all of us. But we're trying to work through it. I'll try talking to her tonight, and see if I can help her. I know since she's so young she probably blames herself or thinks it's something she did, when it isn't. Thank you for being concerned about her, though. Hopefully, things will work out in time." 

Camille couldn't hear most of this conversation, but she knew that when adults took their voices down to a whisper, it was serious. Was her dad going to be mad at her? 

She and her father left the school, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She had a sinking feeling that once they got to the car, he would yell at her. 

But surprisingly, he didn't. He actually didn't speak the entire way home. Camille wanted to speak up and say something, ask him if he was okay because he seemed upset, but the words just weren't coming out. Instead, she stared out of the window and watched all of the scenery of the neighborhood go by. 

Once they arrived home, Hank immediately told her that he wanted to talk to her. 

She was scared, as this could mean trouble. But, her fears were soon pushed to the side as her father pulled her in for a bone crushing hug. 

"Camille, I want you to know that this isn't your fault. I'm going to try and talk to your mother as soon as I can. Trust me, none of this was you. None of it all. You focus on school, your friends, just like you did before. Please. I promise you, it'll get better." 

It wasn't exactly a lie. He was trying his best to fix this mess, but he just wasn't making any progress. But he was sure trying. He went out everyday, looking for her. He went to friends. Family. Stores. He showed people photos of her, asking if they had seen her. Everyone at the police department was willing to help as much as they could, but they all proved to be just as unsuccessful. 

"Maybe she left the country. Changed her identity. You drove her that insane, huh, Anderson?" Gavin, the asshole of the damn place, commented, to which Hank gave him a stern glare. 

"I don't know what the fuck that woman was thinking. And neither do you. So until we know, I would advise that you shut your fuckin' mouth." Hank spat, wanting to choke the dumbass. 

"Just saying. Most people leave for like a day or two, and they can be found easily. At a friend's house. A family member's. But your wife? She's off the fuckin' grid. Nowhere to be found." 

"I know that. If I knew where she was, I'd have her home by now. I knew something like this was coming. I was thinking a divorce. But I guess this happened instead." 

"Maybe she was planning this all along. Maybe she had a fake ID ready to go." Gavin was smirking, as if this were a joke. Maybe to him it was, because he and Hank constantly butted heads over the most idiotic things, so seeing Hank suffer could have been a little victory for Gavin. 

"Oh, shut the fuck up. Don't talk about my family, okay? You have no idea how this is affecting me. Affecting my daughter. And I don't want to hear you talk about this again, unless you know where she is. Other than that, keep your damn mouth shut." 

Gavin said nothing more. And they never did speak of the topic again. And that night, Hank went home and had a drink to make himself feel better. 

Camille took the words of her father, the promise that it'll be okay, as truth, what else was there for her to do? Of course, he didn't end up being correct, but she didn't find that out until about 3 years later. 

It took awhile to adjust. Hank drank a bit, but tried to keep away from that as best as he can, because of Camille. 

Young Camille only saw her father have an episode once. It was scary, one of the scariest moments of her life. He was pissed, mumbling to himself. 

When Camille asked him what was wrong, he began to cry softly. 

"I'm so sorry, honey. I'm so so sorry. I'm trying everything. I really am." 

Camille didn't know what to do, so she just hugged him and clung on for dear life. 

After that night, he tried to avoid drinking. For his little girl. His wife wasn't coming back anytime soon, and he had to be there for her. He couldn't be breaking down and letting himself go, for his sake. 

The 3 years went by, without a word. Maybe Gavin was right, maybe his wife was in another country living it up right now. Or, maybe she was dead somewhere. He just wished that he could've gotten an explanation. 

Camille and Hank took some time to adjust, and they did, slowly but surely. They became to not mind the silence that hung over them. Hank begun to not be bothered by sleeping alone. Even if he and his wife weren't really getting along as much just before she left, they had always slept in the same bed, for the entirety of their marriage. It was awkward at times, but it was one thing that Hank could say was consistent. 

Camille tried to remember everything that she could about her mother, because she was scared that not seeing her for a long time would make her forget. Over the years, this habit faded. It wasn't that she didn't care anymore, because of course she did, but she knew now that she wouldn't forget. Her mom wasn't coming back, but she still had the memories. Even if they weren't all positive, they were still memories. It wasn't easy to let go of someone who helped raise you. 

She was doing fine in school again, like before. Things were finally going back into place. 

Then, one day, as Camille was eating her breakfast on the way to school, the doorbell rang. Her father went to answer, just as he always did. But as soon as he did, Camille knew that there was something wrong. 

Soon as Hank opened the door, he was met with his wife. 

"What the fuck?" Was all he could say. Anger and rage filled him, but he kept it all inside. 

"Hank..." She started, but was quickly interrupted. 

"You have some explaining to do. Where have you been? What were you thinking? What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what you did to me? To our daughter?" 

She looked down, unable to say anything just yet. "I can explain it all in time. I'm sorry, okay? I thought leaving would be best. But it wasn't." 

"Yeah, no shit. And in time? I want an explanation right now. I think you owe it to your daughter, even if you don't want to do it for me." 

"Hank... I left thinking that I could start a new life. I left, without a word, thinking that it was the right decision. But it wasn't. I was so over this life, but then I realized that I still had you. I still had a daughter." 

"Of course it wasn't the right decision. We're still married, you know. What did you do, try and find a new husband? A new kid? We were all here, you know. Waiting for you." 

"Listen, I know. I thought I could leave and all of my problems would disappear. It was stupid. But I came back for you, and mostly for our daughter." 

"The same daughter who cried and blamed herself for days on end because of what you did? And just when she starts to accept that you're gone, here you are again. We're not teenagers. We have a damn child. Someone who was very hurt by the mess you left. She's a kid. How do you expect her to trust you again?" 

Camille heard most of this, and it was already too much for her. She ran up to her room, locked the door, and went back to sleep. 

XX 

Having her mother back in the house was an oddity now, something, that Camille never thought that she would experience ever again. 

To this day, Camille had no clue what had made her father agree to letting her mother back into the house. She was sure that it was because of her, and that thought made her feel a guilt of sorts. 

Her parents had their vows renewed, which apparently changed everything. They seemed happy again. Her mom was more lively then even before she left. She wanted to be around Camille. Camille was quite skeptical, what if she left again? But, in the end, this was better than not hearing from her. 

Then, her mother got pregnant. She was going to be a big sister. She was going off to middle school, most kids already had siblings, but it didn't matter. Camille was ecstatic. 

Her father was beaming too. To him, this erased everything. At least to a degree. But, with a new son, things seemed to be looking up. His name was Cole. He quickly became Camille's favorite person in the world. Suddenly, she wanted everything to do with him. She wanted to hold him, wanted to feed him, wanted to be with him every second. Everything seemed to be at peace for the Anderson family. 

But, that was only for a short period of time. Before Cole's first birthday, her mother was gone again. Not like last time. 

Camille heard the whole argument from her room, it was something she still heard in her head to this day. 

"I thought I could do this again. But I can't." 

"So what? You're going to leave me? And the kids?" 

"I'm not happy. Don't you think that I deserve to be happy?" 

"I think our kids deserve happiness too. Cole isn't even a year old yet." 

There was a pause. 

"You know what?" She heard her father say. "Leave. Go ahead. But don't come crawling back here. Don't ever speak to us again, actually. We're getting divorced, and once it's finalized, I never want to hear your fuckin' name again." 

Camille felt a pang of sadness. She had wanted to hear her mother say that she wanted to be a part of the family, that she was just being stupid. Just like before. She couldn't lose her again. But the next line, broke her heart in two. 

"Fine. Goodbye." 

The divorce was as quickly finalized as it could be, but Camille didn't really see her mother throughout it. Her mother and father came to an agreement to never speak again. She didn't even want to bother seeing Camille and Cole. It stung. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to hate her mother. She couldn't really resent her. She was pissed that she walked out twice, but there was some part of her that still wanted to believe that her mother loved her deep down. That part still existed today. She couldn't find it in her to hold a grudge against this person, even if she had crushed her soul and heart more than once. She would never be able to trust her if she ever came back, but she never would. Her father told her that. 

"She's disturbed. I wanted her to get help. But she's mentally disturbed. She refused to get any help, and told me that she would still be able to manage everyday life. But obviously, she couldn't. It's nobody's fault. Not yours, not mine, not your brother's. Hell, it's not even her own fault. It's all in her head, I guess. When I met her, she wasn't like this at all. I don't know what happened, but it's nobody's fault. Please remember that." 

Camille didn't understand the full meaning of these words at the time, but as she got older, she replayed them in her head over and over, and they gave her a sort of closure. It sucked, knowing that her mom lost it and realized that she couldn't put up with her own family. She wasn't even willing to try. Instead, she agreed to never see her kids or ex husband again. 

The night that it was all finalized for good, Camille saw her father come home and throw his wedding band into the garbage can in the kitchen. When he wasn't looking, she dug into the garbage and pulled it out. She took it up to room and put it under her mattress. It stayed there, until she moved out. 

Today, it sat on her dresser, serving as a constant reminder. 

XX 

A/N: YEET this took so long I'm so sorry, also it's a lot longer than I expected. It was kinda upsetting for me to write at points that I had to stop and take a breather honestly, that's part of why it took so long. The other part is just being uninspired. Hope you all enjoyed regardless.


	8. 7.

The first time Camille tried alcohol, it was a beer. 

She was nearly 15. Her dad has been drinking them. He wasn't overly drunk by any means, but he was buzzed for sure. Camille wasn't sure how many he had when she walked into the living room and saw a bottle sitting on the table, but she knew that it was at least a few of them. Her father never stopped at one. 

Camille and Cole were up in her room together, coloring and creating new worlds, like they always did. They were creating a new cast of detective birds. Why birds? Well, because had Cole had just figured out how to draw them. And whenever Cole learned how to draw something new, he became obsessed and fixated with the thing. 

Cole needed his other box of crayons, the one with only the neon colors. It was in the living room. Camille had offered to get it, jumping up immediately. 

Her father was outside, with Sumo. He left his bottle on the table by the couch, and curiosity got the better of her. She grabbed the crayon box, telling herself not to do it. She knew that the stuff wasn't for someone her age. But, she was in her first year of high school. People often bragged about trying alcohol or smoking. Since her father was in the police force, it wasn't really something that she wanted to do. She had gotten the lecture the day that she first started her freshman year, actually. Her father didn't want her to overly naive and closed away from the world, but he didn't need her becoming the stereotypical high schooler. You could still be quite innocent, and have knowledge. That was what he wanted for her. 

She looked at the bottle, and peeked behind her, to make sure nobody was there to witness this. 

She wasn't one to succumb to peer pressure, if she was she would've tried these things a long time ago, but the way that her peers constantly talked about these things, it just made her all the more curious. 

If her father could see this, she would surely be grounded. 

She picked up the bottle. It was cold. She turned it around, examining it a bit. It was cool, the bottle almost made it seem like it was something vintage, something special. 

She held it up to her nose. The scent was weird, like nothing she had ever smelt before. What even was beer, anyways? She knew that wine was grapes or something like that, but what was beer?  

It didn't matter. She wasn't going to ask, anyways. If she asked her father, he'd wonder why she wanted to know, and she couldn't exactly tell him that she picked up his bottle of the stuff and looked at it. 

The only thing that was left to explore was the taste, and she didn't even want to do that at first. She came to the conclusion that one sip couldn't hurt, she knew that it wasn't enough to get drunk. It couldn't be. 

She pressed the bottle to her lips, and took a swig. Maybe it was a bit too much for a first sip, because her body wanted to spit it immediately. She couldn't, though. Not on the carpet. 

She swallowed it harshly, and as she did, it stung her throat. It tasted gross. She set the bottle back down. Never again. Perhaps her father was on to something when he continuously told her not to ever drink. 

She rushed back upstairs with the crayons, regretting what she had decided to do. She didn't know why her father would ever want to drink that gross stuff, and she never wanted to try it again to find out.

XX

"You wanna go out for drinks tonight? I need a fucking break." Kacee asked, moving the things on her cart over so that she had more room. 

Camille ran a hand through her dark hair, staring at her friend for a few moments. "Sure, I'll go out, but you know I don't drink." She replied. 

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You're our little straight edge friend in the group." Kacee asked, nudging her friend. 

Camille chuckled, pushing Kacee away jokingly away. "Guess I'll have to be the designated driver, won't I?"

"That's what I like about hanging out with you. I know that I'll never have to be the driver. I'm always free to do what I want with you around." 

"You know what, I'll take that as a compliment. I'll go out with you. Is anybody else coming along?" She asked, cocking a brow. 

"I don't think so. I can ask Gary if he wants to come." Kacee winked. Gary was a nurse's aide, one who didn't know when to close his mouth. It almost seemed as though he had a problem with everything everybody did, Camille especially, for some reason that she couldn't quite decipher. 

"Much as I'd like to see how Gary would act on a night out, I'd have to give you a hard decline on that one." Camille replied, giggling. "Look, we'd back get back out there before Miranda gets on our asses. The last thing I need to hear is her shit." 

"That's exactly why we're taking this well needed break, babygirl." 

XX 

Camille stared at herself in the mirror for a few moments. She considered checking up on her father before leaving, but took forever to pick out what she was going to where and how she was going to wear her hair, that she didn't really have the time. Kacee would be here any minute. That's what she had gotten Connor for, right? She knew that if she dared bring up her father to Kacee, that she would say that exact thing. That Connor would have to help him tonight. 

She didn't why she was taking so long to get herself ready, but as she started going through her closet to pick out an outfit, the realization that she hadn't actually gone out in so damn long hit her. Sure, she went to the store, but you didn't really need to dress to impress at Walmart. 

She settled for something that looked nice, but wasn't all too much. She put her hair up into a slicked back ponytail. She wasn't trying to impress anybody by any means, but she might as well look decent. 

She sighed and began putting on some lipstick, just as her phone rang. 

It was Kacee. Of course. She was outside. Of course.

Camille grabbed her purse, making sure she had everything she needed in there, and left, without another thought. 

"Hey." She said, smiling as she entered her friend's car. 

"Hey. You all ready to go?" 

Camille thought about asking her to drop her off at her father's just so she could check on him before they left to go out for the night, make sure everything was sound and that Connor knew what to do. But, she knew that her friend would comment on it, tell her to loosen up or something of the sort, so she said nothing. 

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's go." 

XX 

Hank was expecting Camille any second now. If there was one thing he knew damn well about his daughter, it was that she was predictable as all hell. She was a creature of habit. She had a routine with everything. She was like her mother in that way. 

Being a detective and all, Hank could relate to a degree, but not as much at all. Things could come very unexpected in his life, not even just in his job. His life outside of it had always been a roller coaster. He quickly learned to just roll with the punches. Whenever he tried to make a plan, it was somehow soiled. 

"Why are you looking out of the window? You've looked out there several times in the past hour, are you expecting someone?" Hank heard Connor ask from behind him, and he whipped around quickly. 

"I am. My fuckin' daughter. What's it to you?" Hank spat, turning back to open the curtain once again. Camille still wasn't anywhere near. It was odd. Maybe she was running late at work. 

"I'm sure she'll be here later. And that's what I'm here for. She trusted me with your care, and that's what I'm going to do. Anything you need, I can do it." 

"I don't NEED anything. Not from you, not from her. I was just seeing if she was here, because she's always here around this time. I have no idea why she wasted her money on getting me a robot that I'll never use." He shook his head. 

"She just wants to help you the best she can, you know that right?" 

"What the fuck do you know?" Hank took a few steps closer to the android, scowling at him. 

"I've spoken to her. And she's upset. She just wants you to be alright. Trust me. She's not at the happiest place either, and she hates seeing you like this." 

"You've spoken to her? What the fuck? Considering that you're a robot, I'm not taking anything you say seriously. Get out of my face." 

"I've talked to her. More than you would think. She's a good person. And I'm sure you are too. It's okay to ask for help sometimes." 

"What are you, my therapist? Jesus Christ." Hank scoffed and opened the curtain again. Still no Camille. He was stuck with Connor. Yet again. Fucking fantastic. 

XX 

Camille felt out of place. It wasn't as if she had never been in a bar before, of course she had been, but being out like this was an oddity that she still wasn't quite accustomed to. She didn't even spend much time at her own house. She was either at work, or checking up on her father and staying with him. She only really went to her own place to sleep. 

She glanced over at Kacee, who had just downed her first shot of the night. She was having a good time, that was good. 

Camille wondered what her father was doing. Connor must've figured out by now that she wasn't showing up just yet, she wondered how her father felt about that. Did he even realize? Was he locked away? Passed out? The possibilities seemed quite endless, and it was actually pretty anxiety inducing. 

"Are you okay?" Kacee asked, over the blaring music. When Camille didn't hear her, she poked her shoulder. "Hey!" 

"Are you okay?" She asked again. 

Camille inhaled deeply, and replied with a not so convincing "Yes." 

Kacee shook her head. "You really don't sound sure. If you didn't want to come, you didn't have to. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was forcing you." The blond glanced down at the new shot glass that was in front of her, and then looked back to her friend. "You seem upset. Did something happen?" 

"It's Nothing. Don't worry. And it's not your fault at all. I was just... thinking about my dad. I didn't check on him today yet, and I should've. But it's okay." 

"Camille, you spent all of that money on an android, and are probably going to be making down payments for awhile on it, so that he could have more help when you're not around. I know it's just because you care about him, but it's not fair to you to be dedicating all of your time to making sure he's okay. I'm not saying abandon him or anything, just don't spend all of your time. That's it.  
You're allowed to have fun once and awhile." 

"I guess you're right. But still, I feel somewhat guilty." 

"You shouldn't. You can check up on him when we leave. But until then, enjoy yourself. Why don't you get a drink? Just a shot. You deserve it." 

"I don't-" Camille started, but before she could say anymore, Kacee ordered her a drink. What it was she had no idea, but before she knew it, the drink was in front of her face. 

Kacee raised her shot glass. "Cheers?" 

Camille wanted to just refuse the drink. But she didn't. Instead, she raised her glass as well. "Here's to having some... fun." She said, and the two women clinked their glasses together. "Cheers." 

XX 

"Would you like me to call her? I can." Connor noticed Hank seemed to be very on edge tonight, and the reason was obviously that Camille wasn't around. 

The man would never admit it, though. Even if he wasn't a man of routine, having Camille around was somewhat comforting to him, even if it was annoying at times. 

It wasn't annoying because he didn't like having his daughter around, he loved her very much, it was more so an annoyance with himself. An annoyance with the fact that his life had come to this. He needed help with everything now, it was pathetic. Not only did his daughter spend every moment she could making sure that he was okay, but now, she bought him an android, just to be sure. She could lie and say that she had faith in her father all she wanted, but all of this proved just the opposite. She was worried about him. 

The fact that she was talking to Connor, an android, about her problems made him extremely upset as well. It was his own fault, always pushing her away whenever she tried to speak to him at all. He hated that she had to see him the way he was now. But he was at the point of no return. There really was no going back for him. And, as it appeared, he was dragging his daughter right along with him. 

"No, don't call her. I'll be fine. If I need anything, I'll let you know." He said, heading back to his room. 

Connor watched as he walked away. That sentence was progress. Small progress, but it was still something, nonetheless. 

XX 

Camille would never understand how people enjoyed the taste of alcohol. The sweet stuff was plausible, since it often tasted like baked goods and fruit. But the bitter and strong stuff? That was something that she would never quite grasp. 

It burned her throat. But, it went to her head almost immediately. Maybe it was all because she was a lightweight, somebody who strayed away from alcohol (because she simply didn't like it, but also because she saw how much it hurt her father and had no desire to go anywhere near it), she couldn't handle as much. 

She was on her third shot of the night. She didn't know just how she had gotten to this point, why she was allowing this to happen, but it was happening. She was drinking. 

The only thing pleasant about alcohol, she concluded, was how it felt afterwards. But was dealing with the nasty taste really worth it? It didn't exactly matter, because she was too far into it all at this point, if she was being honest. 

Would she ever do this again? Probably not, and it probably wouldn't be worth it at all in the long run, but that was the future. This was the present.

"I'll have one more." 

Turns out, she wouldn't be driving home after all. 

XX 

Connor heard the door open, and out stumbled Hank. Connor was currently cleaning, making sure everything was up to par. Hank has locked himself in the room awhile ago, and he decided against bothering him. 

A bottle was in his hand, which wasn't surprising, but made Connor feel as though he had done something wrong. It was his job to keep Hank from going off the deep end, but here he was, drinking again. 

"I don't get it!" He exclaimed as he stumbled into the kitchen. "Why did this have to happen? I couldn't have a normal fucking marriage, my child doesn't get the live the life he deserved, I'm making my daughter miserable, having her care for me as if I'm a vegetable. What did I do? Please, tell me." 

Connor looked at him. He didn't know if he should respond to that, or if it was just drunk rambling. So he just turned away, and continued to dust the shelf. 

"And now, she has you here, spending money just to make sure I'm taken care of. And here I am, getting drunk again. Can't ever stop, can I? Connor. I need your help." 

Connor then turned to the man. He looked as tired and battered as ever. He didn't know exactly what sadness felt like, but this had to be it. "What?" 

"Go to my room. Go everywhere around the house. And get rid of all of the alcohol in here. I can't do this anymore. Please. If Camille were here, I know she'd make you do it anyways. She doesn't even know about my stash. If she comes here later, don't tell her about this." He trailed off, staring off into the distance, the bottle still in his hand. He was clutching it, as if letting go would cost him his life. 

Connor went for the bottle he was holding first. "Mr. Anderson. You need to give me this. You want to get better, right?" 

Hank gave a bit of a fight, as if he forgot what he had just said. But after a few seconds, he gave up the bottle. 

Then, Connor went to fulfill the rest of the task at hand. There was a part of him that wanted to give the man more consolation, maybe even a hug. But that wasn't what he was made to do. He wasn't an emotional support robot, he was simply there to do as asked of him. He didn't even know what was giving him the urge to hug the man and tell him that it would be okay. 

He ignored it, and continued doing what he was asked. 

XX 

Camille and Kacee had an Uber pick them up, neither of them were fit to drive. 

They both got into the back. Camille had drunk more than she ever wanted to, not nearly as much as some people normally would, but it was a lot in Camille standards. She had cried to her friend about her father and things in her life, laughed with her friend about the people that they worked with, all of that. Repressed emotions had come out at that bar. 

For some reason, Camille had asked the driver to drop her off at her father's. Kacee was going to her own place. The ride to two locations costed them much more than the average ride, but they didn't care. 

Kacee had gotten dropped off first, leaving Camille alone in the car, staring out at the window as everything passed her.

She let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding, running her hands through her hair. Tonight was surely something else. 

She needed to check on her father, and just make sure that he was alright. 

She got out of the car, thanking the driver, and fumbled in her pocket for her keys. It took her quite a few seconds. 

She entered her father's house, greeted by Connor, and Sumo, who was at her feet. She reached down and pet him clumsly. 

"Where's... where's my dad?" She stammered out. "Is he okay?" 

"He's fine. He went to bed awhile ago. And I can see from your breath, that you are intoxicated. Are you alright? Did you drive here?" 

"I'm. Fine." Camille slurred out. "I took an Uber. If my dad is asleep, I guess I won't bother him. I'm gonna crash on the couch." She didn't even bother to change. She just grabbed one of the throw pillows, put it on the end of the couch, and rested her head on it. She was out in minutes. 

Connor threw a blanket over her, just so she didn't get cold in the night. Today had been an odd day, that much was for sure. 

XX 

A/N: happy 2019! this is actually my first update of 2019 haha. It was supposed to be out days ago but ya know... life. 

Next chapter is gonna be a Hank centric one, I can't wait to start writing it! 

Also, thanks everyone for the support on this story!! I know it's OC centric and those aren't as fun and are boring sometimes, but I'm glad you all are getting as immersed as I am! 

Thanks so much for reading, love you always!! <3


	9. 8. (!)

A/N: (!)= mature/triggering content. This chapter contains mentions of depression, heavy thoughts, suicidal thoughts and attempts. 

Also, I put a marker so that you know when the flashbacks end. I know that you can quickly differentiate the times, but just in case I put it there because it felt right. Hopefully it doesn't break the flow of reading any, or serve as something that makes reading awkward. 

XX

Hank Anderson never really expected himself to have kids. 

Nobody really did, did they? Everybody says they won't ever have kids when they're younger. Hank never really saw himself as the fatherly type, he was always working, and just felt like it wasn't for him. It wasn't something that he was thinking about at all.

That was why, as soon as his wife stepped out of the bathroom with a smile on her face, saying "Guess what? It was positive!", all he could utter was "Already?" 

The two hadn't been married for long, not by any means, so he was genuinely surprised. He also didn't remember when this could've happened, but wasn't that the joy of it all? 

"Oh, come on. We're married, it's no big deal, right? I mean, it was going to happen eventually." She said, scoffing. 

"We haven't really talked about it. But I guess you're right. Nothing we can do now." He knew that he should be happy in a moment like this, ecstatic even. But instead, he was scared shitless. He knew nothing about parenting, nothing at all. Then again, he had known nothing about marriage and decided to jump right into that as well. 

They had never really mentioned kids, Hank had never really thought about them. He would never be around, what was the point? That would only lead to issues later on. 

He brought it up to her later that night, and she scoffed yet again in response. She was getting aggravated at him at this point. "Is this your way of telling me you don't want to have the baby? That you think I shouldn't keep it?" 

He turned to her, sighing. "No. I never said that. You're putting words in my fuckin' mouth. I never once said that you shouldn't have the baby. I just don't know how good I'd be as a parent, that's all." He admitted, facing away from her again. 

She cocked a brow. "What? What do you mean?" 

"I mean that I'm not around much. You know how my job can be sometimes. You understand because we're adults and you know how it is, but a kid won't. I just don't want to be a bad parent." 

She reached over, putting her hand on top of his. "You won't be. I know you won't be. Sure, your job is demanding, but it's better than you not being here at all." 

"I'm not going to leave you, if that's what you mean. I won't, I promise." 

"I know. I was just saying, you'll still be here. That's what matters. Adults work, that's just how it is." 

He wasn't going to argue it any further. "I guess you're right." He mumbled, and they didn't speak of it anymore throughout the rest of the night. 

XX 

Hank began to do more and more research as the days went on. 

They went to the doctor to confirm that it was true, and this trip prompted him to get to researching. He surfed the Internet, bought books, everything. 

He never let his wife see that he was doing this, though. It embarrassed him that he was this nervous about being a parent. 

"You, Hank Anderson, a father? Quite hilarious, if you ask me." Gavin had said sarcastically as he passed by Hank's desk, where he was flipping through one of the books he had bought. He kept them all here, along with his work things. He couldn't bring them home, he wouldn't want to do that, out of his embarrassment. 

"Ah, fuck you, Gavin." He said, not looking up. "We get it, you're jealous of everyone with a stable life." 

"Stable?" He chuckled. "You're the one reading a book about how to have kids, when your wife is already pregnant." 

Hank shook his head, but didn't respond. This whole thing was childish. Why did Gavin have a problem with everything? Working here and having him around was like being in high school again. 

He huffed and continued to flip through the book. He couldn't let Gavin get to him. He had to worry about gaining more parenting knowledge. 

XX

She was so excited, what happened? She wanted more than anything to have this child, those were her exact words actually. 

Hank remembered her smile distinctly at each of the appointments, each time they bought things for their future baby. 

When they found out that they were having a girl, he remembered how excited she was to decorate the nursery and figure out names. 

"Camille!" She had exclaimed while reading one of those baby name books. She had been doing so for weeks. 

"Huh?" Hank had asked while pouring his coffee. "What'd you say?" 

"Camille!" She said excitedly, shooting up, maybe a bit too fast. She looked down at her bump. She was showing heavily now, only a few more weeks and the baby would be here. It had been a pretty breezy pregnancy, she had expressed many times how lucky she felt she was, this was good, especially for her first baby. "That should be her name, isn't it pretty?" 

Hank thought for a moment. Coming up with names proved to be the most difficult thing as of yet, even worse than decorating the nursery and building the damn crib. "It is. I like it." 

"So you're agreeing with me?" 

"Yeah. Camille it is. Camille Anderson. You know, she sounds like a badass detective already." 

"With you around and influencing her, I'm sure she will be. I can't wait to meet our little badass detective." She said with a smile. 

But, once Camille had actually come, that energy had seemed to evaporate. The first night that she had been home, Hank had to deal with not only the child crying her eyes out, but also his wife doing so. 

"What's wrong?" He asked her once he had finally gotten the baby to sleep. She had practically forced Hank to do it, saying that she just couldn't. 

"Let me sleep! Just let me sleep." She responded, burying her face into her pillow. 

"No, tell me what's wrong. I'm your husband. You can talk to me." He said, reaching out to her. She quickly pushed him away. 

"No! I don't want to talk to you! Get away! Let me sleep, please let me sleep!" 

He sighed and did just that. He didn't know if she was just exhausted, or if she was genuinely upset, but he would find out really soon. 

The cycle continued. Hank watched as his wife was only able to hold Camille for a few minutes before she gave her up to him. 

"Get her away. You take her. Please." She said, beginning to tear up again. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He spat, taking the baby. 

"I'm not good at this. I can't do this. I'm a bad mother, I'm not good at this." She stood up and walked out of the room. 

After he put the baby down and went to find her, he found her standing by the window. 

"Tell me what's going on." He said. He couldn't understand this. He just couldn't. She was so happy before, and as soon as the baby came, she was the opposite. "Baby blues?" He asked, walking up beside her. He had read it in one of the books. 

"I don't know. You know, you said at first that you would be the bad parent. But it's me. I'm the bad parent. I'm the worst." 

He put his hands on the small of her back. "You're not. You're not even trying. Of course it's hard, but you can still do it." 

"I just... I don't know." 

"Why don't you go lay down. I'll make something for you to eat. You haven't had anything all day. What do you want?" He said, desperately trying to change the subject because this was obviously distressing her even further. 

"I'm not hungry. I'll just go to bed." She said, walking off. Maybe it was just the baby blues, it wouldn't last too long, he hoped. 

He sighed, ready to turn in as well. But, just as he was about to follow his wife into the bedroom, the baby began to cry. 

XX 

Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed. Hank watched as his wife became a different person, and distanced herself more and more.

He took time off from work, just so that he could manage everything, and get it all back on track. He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate, anyways. 

She began to lose interest in mostly everything, she barely even spoke or ate, and she slept far more than she ever did before. 

Hank had assumed that this would fade more as the days went on, that these were just some simple little baby blues, but as more and more time passed on, he realized that it was so much more. 

He was exhausted. Not only was he the one who was left to care for the baby, but he was worried about her too. 

She tried to take part, but every time she held Camille, she cried. 

"Get her away from me!" She had shouted once, and Hank was sure that he had never heard her sound more disgusted with something before. 

"If you want to leave me, just do it." She said one night. "I know you do. I'm the worst. I'm the worst person there is." 

"I never said that. I love you, okay?" 

"You're just saying that to make me feel better. There's nothing I can do. I'm a bad parent and a bad wife." 

He tried to console her further, but she wouldn't speak to him, not at all. She was distancing herself more and more. 

He wished that there was something that he could do. He heard her starting to cry next to him, and he turned away from her completely and began to cry as well, for the first time since his daughter was born. But this time, he wasn't crying out of happiness. He was crying out of hopelessness, out of guilt. He wished he could help her, he wished it more than anything. 

XX 

"You need to get help. Listen to me. I just want what's best for you. You can't even look at her. This can't go on. What about when she gets older? She's going to know that something is wrong. Please, you need to get help. Get it." Hank said to his wife over breakfast. 

She was picking at her food and barely eating it, as always. Camille was growing older and older each day, and learning more and more. Soon enough, she would be able to understand their conversations completely, and he didn't want her to have to see her mother in this dark place. "Why? What's the point? I'm still going to..." She trailed off. 

"The point is, you're going to feel better. You can't even be around Camille. That's not normal. You have birth to her." 

"I'm not good enough. What don't you get? You would both be better without me around. And that would just be it." 

"Stop saying that. It's not true, and it's asinine. Your daughter needs you. I need you. I'm not going to sit here and let this happen to you, while I sit around and do nothing. You don't know how much this hurts." 

"How much it hurts you? I'm going to bed, and don't bother trying to follow me and trying to talk to me. I'm locking the door, stay away from me." 

He sighed. If she didn't want help, there was nothing that he could do. He learned that in life, especially as a detective. You couldn't help people that didn't want to be helped. 

But this was so much different than all of the awful cases that he had tackled before. This was his own wife. He couldn't just brush this under the rug like he often did with work. He didn't want her to fall into such a bad place that he would never see her again. 

Camille was starting to get older, still requiring a ton of care. It was a lot to worry about both his wife and their child, but he had to. There was nothing else that he could do. 

With caring for Camille, he sometimes forgot about his wife. She would often spend her days in the bed, crying, sleeping, or doing something not productive. She was a completely different person. This wasn't the woman that he married, not in the slightest. 

He wished he could wake up, and have all of this horrible stuff be a dream. Instead, everytime he woke up, things only got worse. 

XX

The worst of the worst, the time when he realized that this was too serious to just push away and act as though nothing was wrong, was when Hank had walked into the bedroom, and had witnessed his wife trying to commit suicide. 

Camille was taking a nap, so he figured checking on his wife wouldn't hurt. He was glad that he did. He walked in on her attempting to hang herself with the bedsheets. 

His eyes darted to the bare mattress, and then over to her, about to stand on top of the chair that she dragged in from the kitchen. He knew he had heard her moving around, but he hadn't expected this, not in the least. 

He ran over to her at once, pulling her down. 

"What are you doing?" He asked. "Why would you even think about doing this?" He asked frantically. "What the hell!" 

"I... I don't know what to do." She said in barely a whisper as she fell to the ground. "I just don't know, Hank." 

"Well, I'll tell you, not this! Definitely not this." 

He tried to talk to her more, but it was apparent that she wasn't going to say anything to him. Instead, she began to sob uncontrollably. 

He wanted to take her to some place, make her stay somewhere for a bit, maybe even talk to someone. But she wouldn't budge. She wouldn't move. He said that he would find a way to make her go somewhere, and she had screamed at him in response. 

"I'm fine! Please! I'm sorry! It won't happen again. Please, don't make me go anywhere but here. I don't want to. That'll just make things worse." 

"If you promise." Was all he said. He knew it didn't work that way. That even if she promised, she would still have problems. 

"I promise." She said, in between sobs. "I won't do that again. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." 

She was right, she never did try to take her own life again. But, that didn't make her any better. In fact, things only went more downhill. 

XX

With his wife refusing to get help, there wasn't much he could do. He had tried to convince her more than once. Almost everyday he tried to talk her into it. This slump, this depression that she was going through, it was far from normal. And he wished that she would realize that. This was not only bad for her, for their daughter, but it was bad for him as well. Their marriage was already chipping apart, and it hadn't really been long at all. Ever since Camille had been born, things went downhill. 

He still loved the little girl with everything in him, no matter what. He knew that most people would blame the child for what was happening. But you couldn't blame your problems on an infant, and he wouldn't. 

Camille looked just like her mother, and that broke his heart even more. Even today. Especially today. Looking at her was a constant reminder of what once was. As she got older, she definitely had gotten her father's personality traits. 

His wife wasn't getting any better, she was just hiding it all better. As the years passed, Camille and her mother never got close. It hurt to see, but there was nothing he could do about it. 

He knew he should've pushed her more and more. He should've pushed her to get help, until she did. But he had practically given up, and just put up with it. 

Which was wrong. For both himself and for her.  No person would put up with this without doing something. More arguments began to surface day after day. More problems. But what did he do? Nothing. He couldn't help her, no matter how much he tried. And it killed him. 

It still did. To this day, he blames himself. And he always would. That was the part he had never told Camille. She didn't know the truth. Sure, she knew that he mother had issues, but she never knew the full extent. And, she never knew that her father had just let it happen. 

He was a failure, as both a husband and a parent. His wife thought that it couldn't get worse than her, when she was looking right at him. 

He felt terrible. He made too many mistakes. Time after time. Things that he could never take back. 

XX

After she left for the first time, he was shocked. He had never expected it. 

Sure, having her around wasn't always the easiest, but her leaving was especially hard. It was a mess. Once again, she managed to surprise him. 

At first, he was hoping that maybe she took it upon herself to actually go and get help, for real this time. Instead, she had went god knows where, and returned, pretending as though she was doing better. 

"I don't know what I was thinking." She had said. "I just don't know, Hank. I needed a breath. I felt constricted. I hated it. Hated it all." 

"Did you... talk to someone?" He asked. 

"No, I didn't. Therapy doesn't work for everyone, you know. I'm fine." 

And he believed it. She insisted that she wanted another child. He was skeptical at first, who wouldn't be? He knew it wouldn't be a good idea. 

And yet, it had happened anyways. Cole was born, and the same thing had essentially happened all over again, except this time she lasted much quicker. 

"I can't do this!" 

Those were the words that broke him. It was really over, there was nothing that he could do. She was leaving. Maybe it would be best. 

"I just want you to have the kids. I'm not fit. You can even say that, I don't care." She had said, and it really did sound like she didn't care what the hell happened to her children. But, he could tell that there was a part of her that really wanted to best, and realized that she was too far gone. 

He wished more than anything that she had gotten help, and that they could all be a happy family. But, not everything could have happy endings, it seemed. Especially not the lives of the Anderson family. 

XX 

Just when Hank had thought that things couldn't get any worse, he quickly realized that they could. Actually, they could get much worse. 

He lost his son. His little boy. Again, he felt that there was nobody but himself to blame. He was a fuckup, nothing more. 

He turned to alcohol, bing drunk seemed to solve everything. It made him forget reality, made him drift off into another a world. A world where all was happy. 

He never wanted to abandon Camille because of his grief, that was never what he had intended. It was just another mistake. Something that he wished that he could take back. 

She was 18 at the time of Cole's death, so she was about to move onto her adult life. She needed guidance and reassurance. And of course, she wanted to look for that in her father. But, he wasn't there to offer it. So, she had given up on her dreams. She didn't know what to do. 

He was absent due to his growing addiction, and also the mental conditions that were growing within him as well. It was a constant battle within him. And the worst part was, he couldn't help himself. His own daughter had given up the things she wanted most to take care of him. 

He would never forgive himself for everything that he had done to his own family. That was what made him most miserable. He didn't care what anyone else said. He felt guilty, and he always would. 

XX 

PRESENT DAY... 

Hank sighed as he got up. Camille had never come around to check on him, it seemed. Which was a good thing. He didn't want her to see him like that. 

He got up. Connor was probably bringing Sumo out, or something of the sort. At least that's what he hoped. He didn't want to speak with the android right now. 

He walked out of his room, and as soon as he did, he saw his daughter, on the couch. 

"What the hell?" He said. "Camille!" He said, shaking her. It was the afternoon. 

She turned to him slowly. "W... what?" She asked, her voice dripping with sleep. She was wearing something dressy, she never came around the house like this. There was something up, he knew it. 

Connor stepped into the room. "She came here last night, drunk." 

Camille shot up, hearing him say this. "Connor! Jesus. Dad, it's not like-"

"Tell me, why in the hell would Connor make that up? Just be honest with me. You drank last night? Why? Tell me." He was getting visibly angry. This was just the confrontation that she was trying to avoid. 

"Camille, I was just telling him what I notice. I didn't know it would cause a problem." Connor said. 

"Can you go and let the dog out, or something? I need to talk to my father." She said, rubbing her eyes. 

Connor left promptly. He couldn't help saying anything, he was an Android after all, and just telling Hank what had happened. He didn't want it to cause anything, but it did. 

"Tell me." Hank said again. He was getting more and more angry. Camille didn't like it. 

"I don't know. It was stupid, my friend and I went out for drinks, and it got out of hand. I never want to do it again. I don't like it. I'm sorry, daddy, I really am." She said, not knowing why she had brought out her childhood nickname for him. Even if she did feel like a child again, being chastised by him. 

"I just don't... I don't think you should do things like that. You see where the fuck it got me." He said, turning away from her. He wanted to hug her, but didn't reach out. 

"I'm sorry." 

"What time did you come here?" 

"I don't remember. I took an Uber from the bar and came here, just to make sure everything was okay. You were already asleep, or so Connor told me." 

He huffed. "Promise me that you'll never drink again." He didn't want to see her going down the same path that he did. He had always been glad she wasn't a drinker. Even if it was all in good fun, her being passed out on his couch wasn't a good thing by any means. It meant that she had gotten beyond drunk, more drunk than she should ever get. 

She had said the same thing to him, more than once. And it never worked. She felt a tug on her heart when she heard him say the phrase. "I promise. Trust me. I'm gonna nap." She said, laying back down onto the couch. "My head hurts." 

He said nothing more, just exited the room. 

XX 

A/N: this chapter was pretty hard to write, because of the content that it delves into. It sort of reminds me of my own life, in some ways. 

What I love about being a fan fiction writer is that I'm able to add more depth to already existing characters, like Hank. Not much is given about his marriage or even Cole and such in general, so it gives a lot of space to create. It's sort of what inspired this story, along with the question of what would happen if Hank had another child. 

I just really fucking Hank Anderson, and I love that we finally get a chapter centering around his struggles and perspective on everything. When started this, I wanted to write in first person and alternate between Hank and Camille. But, I'm awful at first person. Maybe someday we can try with a spin-off or something, who knows. 

Anyways, I'll stop going on now. My author's notes are far too long, haha. Anyways, thanks as always for reading, it means a lot to me! All the love! <3


	10. 9.

A/N: chapter 8 of this story got featured in the official dbh amino! Isn't that amazing? I can't believe it, I'm so happy to have my readers, y'all mean the world to me! 

XX

Camille reckoned that she would never drink again. In the moment, it had felt alright, but in the end, it was far from worth it. 

When she first woke up from her "nap", she had no clue where she was, her body was stuck in the interval between sleep and waking for far too long, it was something that she was going to blame solely on the alcohol. 

She was still on the couch, her body crunched up uncomfortably, so much so that it took her quite a few seconds to gain the power to stand. Once she did, she stretched to ease her joints, sighing. 

She felt like an idiot. Why did she decide to come here, when she has a place all of her own? She didn't even check on her father, not at all. She had just passed out. She could've come tomorrow, and he would've been just fine. Connor was here, and he knew what he was doing. But, she just couldn't help how nervous she still was, no matter what. It was just something that was wired in her brain. 

She wanted to go say goodbye to him, but after their awkward conversation before she went to sleep, she didn't think it would be the best idea. She knew that she'd get a lecture, which she did deserve, but her head was threatening to explode so she would have to hear it later. 

She got up, folding the blanket that Connor had draped over her, placing it on the end of the couch. She quickly pulled her hair back into a sloppy and uninspired ponytail. She knew that she looked a mess right now, she sure felt like it. 

"Never again." She said to herself. Soon as she got home, she was going to need a shower. And some time to think about all of this. This was a mistake, something that never should've happened. 

She trudged out into the kitchen, where she was stopped by Connor. 

"You okay?" He asked her, placing his hand on her arm. 

She took a deep breath before answer him. Of course he was going to talk to her. She appreciated the effort, but she just wanted to be home already. "I'm fine." She answered, not looking at him. Now that she thought of it, it was so strange how he cared about HER. Wasn't her only supposed to be worried about Hank? 

She had conversations with the android, told him things, and he seemed to actually care about her now, and not just on a "I'm working for you so I have to care somewhat" level. This felt so real, so genuine. It was an oddity that she couldn't quite understand, she wasn't sure how she ever could. It was probably just something in his program, right? Androids were created to serve and compliment humans in the best way possible. They were supposed to feel like human companions, weren't they? 

"You're lying to me. I can tell. But it's okay. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to. I guess you and your father both had bad nights." He said, turning away from her. 

"What? What happened with my father?" She asked, suddenly intrigued. She felt guilt surge through her. She knew that she should've checked in before getting wasted. 

Connor's eyes widened, as if he were catching himself saying something he shouldn't have. That was how Camille knew that something bad had happened. Something that her father didn't want her to know. "Nothing, he just seemed upset." 

"I know that's not it, Connor. Please don't lie to me. Did something happen?" 

Connor, for some reason, couldn't bring himself to lie. Perhaps it was the look of despair that had formed on her face when he had brought it up, perhaps it was simply that there was no way out now. What else was he to say apart from the truth? He knew that Hank would be angry with him, but Camille would've likely found out one way or another. "He had a breakdown of some sorts, and began to drink a bit. No worries though, I stopped him before it got too out of hand. He was talking about things I thought I'd never hear him bring up, especially to me. He and I actually had a brief conversation, it was strange, I never expected it. But, it was progress. I still don't think he likes having me here, but it's my job. I have to be here, unless you tell me to leave." 

"Oh my god." Camille said, inhaling and putting her face in her hands. A few seconds later, she met the android's eyes. "Thank you. You know, for stopping it. At least it didn't go too far. If you weren't here... who knows what would've happened." 

"It's my job. You know, you both should look into getting help. I think you both would benefit. There's only so much I can do. This is going to be a constant cycle, until it's fixed." 

Camille thought for a few seconds before saying anything. She and her father had much more in common than they were willing to admit. The biggest trait that they shared was their unwillingness to admit that they had their fair share of problems. 

They both had just gone through the motions of life dealing with what was thrown at them, in positive and also destructive ways. But, they never really attempted "help". Hank even hated having Camille come in and check on him, he wasn't going to embarrass himself by telling someone else, someone that he didn't even know, what had happened in his life. Not when he could channel his problems into alcohol. 

Camille didn't really care much for herself. She would rather care for others. Which was fine to a degree, but she was abandoning herself in the process. She didn't see it as that, though. 

"Thanks again. I should probably head out now. Tell my dad I'll be back later. I just... have some things I need to do." 

Connor wanted to say something, but wasn't able to utter another syllable, because Camille was gone. 

XX 

Camille mentally scolded herself once again when she entered her own place. She knew that what happened last night would never happen again, but she still wished that it had never happened. 

She was never really one to dwell on her past mistakes too much, but she really felt that she deserved to best herself up for this. It was stupid, idiotic even. But even if it was, there was no way she could change it. There was no point in going on about it now, but she knew that her mind would be on it for a few days. 

She hated starting things, hated having people worry about HER. She hated people having to suffer repercussions because of her. There were bigger problems in the world. She hated making things about her. She hated that her father and Connor would probably continue to bring this up. 

She went to her room, right away, slamming the door behind her; as though somebody was trying to follow her in. She walked into her dresser, pulling the ring off. 

She slid it onto her own ring finger, examining it. Now that she thought of it, there was so much about her own mother that she didn't know. Sure, she knew that there was some sort of mental issues that she dealt with, her father had brought up that much. But, there had to be something more. She didn't even know what exactly her mother ever struggled with, not even to this day. 

She supposed that she never would. Sighing, she threw the ring back where it was before, taking her hair down. 

Her father never opened up about anything already as it was, he could barely hold a normal conversation with her. Bringing up something like that, he would definitely close himself away. She always made it a point to tread lightly when talking to him, she felt as though one wrong move would cause him to isolate himself even more, maybe not even speak to her at all. 

She laid down on her bed for a few moments, simply staring at the ceiling and letting time pass, lost in another world. After that got old, she took a quick shower, the warm water scalding her skin and leaving it a bright red. 

She wanted to nap, but at the same time, her mind was running way too fast, and she knew that she likely wouldn't be able to sleep. 

So instead, she called the only person that she knew she could talk to. Kacee. 

"Hey, my head fucking hurts." Kacee said as soon as she picked up, and Camille could hear her groan in pain. 

"Mine too. Why did you let me get dropped off at my dad's? It created a whole mess. I can't believe I did that." 

"What? You did? Jesus, I don't even remember." 

"Apparently I did. And I also decided that it would be a good idea to sleep on his couch. He was on my mind all night, and I guess I just felt guilty about not checking on him before we left." She paused for a moment to chuckle. "And I guess I thought staying there was a good idea." 

"I told you not to worry too much. You got him Connor just so you wouldn't have to worry about him as much." 

"I know. But still. I can't help but worry. With him, I always think of the worst. I can't help it. He's my dad. And apparently, Connor said that he had a whole breakdown or something and tried to drink, I don't know exactly what happened but it makes me feel even more guilty." She didn't like ranting like this and turning to conversation to herself, but she couldn't help it. The words were simply pouring out of her. 

"Don't be. Was Connor able to talk him out of it? Like, he stopped him from taking it too far right?" 

"Yeah, he said that he helped him and that they actually talked, apparently my dad vented to him or something. Even Connor thought it was weird, and he's a robot." 

"Is your dad okay now?" 

"Last time I spoke to him, I kind of got a lecture. I didn't even say goodbye when I left, because I knew he'd still be pissed at me. And I guess he has every reason to be. I'm pissed at myself too." 

"It's okay, it'll all blow over. I'm sorry for... you know." 

"What do you mean?" Camille asked, intrigued. 

"You know... trying to get you to get drink. I just wanted you to loosen up. You worry too much about your dad. I understand why, I just don't think it should burden you like this." 

Camille didn't say anything for a moment, letting her friend's words sink in. She couldn't help it. Her father was in need. She couldn't just abandon him. "You know, Connor said something else too. And I need your opinion, since you're my friend and all." 

"What is it?" 

"He said that my dad needs to look into getting help, and so should I? Do you think I need help? Does he?" 

"It's not a bad thing to get help, you know. You both have been through lots, and obviously you need more. Do you want it? Like, would you actually try it?" 

"I don't know. It might help him, but I don't think he'd want to try. He doesn't even like me helping him. Do you really think he'll want to talk to a stranger about his life. He won't even talk to me about things." 

"That's the thing, sometimes people find solace in talking to someone they don't know rather than their family or friends. Maybe he's embarrassed or ashamed. Obviously, you are too. You've been through a lot more shit than you recognize. You deserve to be happy. You both do. You're never going to be able to find peace living like this." 

"Maybe I'll try and bring it up to him. But I don't know how it'll go." 

"What about you?" 

"What about me? I'll be fine. I just want him to be okay first. I'll get to me." 

"You can't keep pushing yourself aside, you know." 

"I'm going to for as long as I can. I won't be okay until everything else around me is okay. I don't think I'll ever get over my brother dying, my mom leaving, any of it. It's just going to stick with me every single day. I don't know what to do about it." Her voice cracked, she was now on the verge of tears. She really was overwhelmed when she thought about it, everything that had once happened to her weighing on her chest extra heavy. It was painful, to say the least. Talking about it made her feel a little better she would admit, but she also felt as though she was only feeling good because she was talking to a friend. She didn't know how she would feel talking to somebody else, somebody she didn't know especially. 

"I know, I know. If you don't think it will help you, don't do it. But remember, only get help for you. Don't have anybody else in mind. You deserve happiness just as much as anyone else. It's nobody's fault that your brother died, it's nobody's fault that your dad relies on alcohol now. It's a disease. I wish there was more I could do." 

"Just having someone that I can rely on to talk to helps. Trust me. I'll try and talk to him when I go over there, but I doubt he'll want to tell me anything." 

"He'll come around I'm sure. He still loves you regardless, I know it. You're the only blood that you both have." 

"I love him too." 

"I know you do." 

"Thanks. You know, for letting me call you and vent like this. Oh, and never let me near a drink again." 

XX 

Attempting to talk to her father was a huge mistake, Camille soon realized. She had taken a nap, and drove down to check on him since she didn't have work. 

"Are you okay, dad?" She asked him, walking into his room. 

"Why wouldn't I be okay? Did Connor tell you some bullshit?" Hank sighed. Connor always had her fucking worried over nothing. 

"He... He said that you were upset last night. What happened? Are you okay now? I'm just worried, that's all."

"The fuck is wrong with him, tellin' you shit. Listen, it was nothing." 

"What if Connor wasn't here? What would've happened?" 

"Nothing. I've lived all of those other days, last night wasn't shit. Don't worry about it. It's fine. Listen, tell him if he keeps starting shit, he'll be out." 

"He's just doing his job. I told him to tell me anything that happened." 

"Well it's my house, and soon enough he's going to be fucking out of here. I think there's more to these androids. They're fuckin' spying on us. And this isn't anybody's business." 

"Dad, don't be crazy. That's not what it is. He's just programmed to be a human companion. And he has done nothing but help. It'll be fine." 

"Whatever. Just tell him to stop being so dramatic. It's stressing you out. And we don't need that. Don't you have work tonight?" 

"No. I don't. So I can stay here, if you want?" 

"It's fine. You can go home." 

The words sort of stung, but she left, her head hung low. That was exactly what she was expecting, but it still hurt in a way. She felt silly to even think that she would get through to him at all. 

She didn't even utter a goodbye to Connor on her way out. 

XX 

A/N: writing filler chapters is literally the bane of my fucking existence oh my god this took way too long!! 

But as always, thanks for reading and supporting this story, you mean the world to me! I love this story so much, and I'm glad that you all do as well!!!


	11. 10.

A/N: was it really January the last time I updated this?? I'm really sorry, I was super uninspired with writing as a whole, I hit a wall with all of my projects. That's really my only explanation. But I always find my way back to writing, it's my favorite outlet. 

Thanks for sticking with me! 

One more thing: all credits go to The Aces for their song "Stay" that I use in the chapter. I know this story is set in the future, and the song dropped in 2018, but y'all cannot sit here and tell me that you don't listen to throwbacks from your childhood. Come on now. If you haven't heard of The Aces, check them out!!! (If you do pls message me your fav song, we'll be friends so fast omg) 

Okay, for real now, let's get onto the chapter! 

XX 

Camille sighed as she headed into work, running her fingers through her hair. She really didn't want to be here, especially not at this hour. She liked her job enough, but not so much that she liked showing up at work hours earlier than she was supposed to. 

She supposed that everybody got annoyed when they had to go into work early, especially when the reasoning behind it was because of a meeting. A meeting that was supposedly of upmost importance. 

"What do you think it is?" Kacee asked from beside her. The two had drove in together. They both had night time shifts tonight, an hour apart. This meeting had come as a surprise to the both of them. 

"Who knows. Hopefully it's not payment cuts." Camille responded. "It better not be something stupid, either. I was having a good night's rest." It was a lie. She had only gone to sleep an hour before getting the cal telling her that she needed to come in. She was running on that little amount of sleep, and she could barely stand up. She couldn't make that obvious, though. 

"I swear to god, if it's about the vending machines I might just lose it." 

The dark haired woman chuckled. "Hey, I wouldn't put it past Jeff." 

Jeff was the manager of the entire place. There were managers for each floor, but Jeff was the one that checked over them all and made sure they were all running correctly. He always made the big decisions. He had more power than anyone else in the place. 

"Imagine if he called us all in here just to vote for what cake we wanted for this month's birthdays. That sounds like a Jeff thing to do." Kacee said with a giggle. 

"I would kick his ass." 

The two laughed. Camille liked having a friend around. Before working here, she didn't really talk to anybody. Her time was dedicated solely to whatever job she was currently holding, and her father. 

They walked into the meeting, where all of their fellow co-workers and managers were sitting around, looking like zombies. 

"I'm gonna get some coffee." Camille announced, eyeing the machine in the corner. She needed some caffeine in her or she was going to lose her mind. She was already miserable enough, she wasn't going to deny herself the pleasure of coffee. 

"Grab me a cup too!" Kacee said as she sat down, pulling the box of donuts that had been laid out for everyone. 

Camille came back with the cups of coffe, taking a sip soon as she sat down and slid over Kacee's cup. 

"Everybody took the good donuts. All that's left are the nasty jelly filled ones. I hope they all get fired." Kacee said, sighing and taking a sip of her own coffee. She seemed serious, which made Camille giggle. 

"Hey, I like the jelly filled ones. Don't shame me." She said, brining the box closer to her. "You know, Jeff is really trying to make us all feel comfortable and happy by bringing us food and coffee. This must be something way serious." 

"I know, and the coffee doesn't taste like shit either. He's fucking serious." 

Camille picked up a donut, biting into it. Jelly squirted out of the back and onto the table.

"Shit!" She exclaimed, causing everyone to look at her. She smiled and felt her face go a deep shade of crimson. "We just... are having a donut incident." She reached out to grab a napkin to clean up her mess. 

"I don't think I can talk to you. A jelly donut? God, I thought I knew you." Kacee said, turning away from her friend in a dramatic fashion. 

"Shut up. I will punch you right here and you-" She was interrupted by Jeff, who walked into the room, his voice booming. 

"Hey everyone! Hope you all are enjoying the refreshments, I'm sorry that this is so sudden. But today, a big decision was made, and you'll see why you're all here in a second." He said, smiling brightly. 

"It's a paycut." Camille whispered to Kacee. "I fucking knew it." 

"Why is he being so loud? Doesn't he know how early it is?" Kacee whispered. 

"Kacee, Camille. Is there something you have to say?" Jeff asked the two. 

They went silent. "No." They answered in unison. 

"Great. Now, you all know that I do enjoy having all of you here, right?" 

Everyone in the room glared at each other. What in the hell was going on? 

"Times are changing. We all know that. Things are being invented everyday, bigger and better things. Things we never expected. And we're lucky enough to see them. Or, maybe these things make some of us unlucky." 

Another glare. Jeff had the tendency to go on and on, but what was he on about today? It made no sense to anybody in the room. 

"I guess I'll put it simply. Some of you... are going to be laid off." He raised his hand up, knowing commotion was going to start as soon as he said the words. "Now, before you freak out. There's reasoning behind this. You all have heard of androids, correct?" 

Everyone nodded, and looked to each other. Now they knew exactly what this was. They were getting replaced. By androids. 

Camille felt herself freak out and run through the scenarios in her head. No job, no income. No income, no way to pay bills. She looked down at the table, studying it as if it were something so imperative. She couldn't have anyone see that she was freaking out. 

"Now, I hate to say this. While I do love you all, there are many of you that are inefficient. Several of you that can't work together properly. I've seen it, I've heard it. Androids are programmed to be more efficient than we are, and get the job done. That's it. And we feel, in a place where people are constantly in need of assistance, sometimes fast assistance, that these androids would be a good addition. Now, we're going to start out slow. Get a few at a time, see how well they work, and how the people adjust." 

"Are some of us getting fired today?" One of the managers asked. 

Jeff stares at her for a second before responding. "I'll answer questions after. I don't know when, but we're ordering some of them, and as soon as we get them we want to start implementing them here. I know how it must feel, and I can see how nervous some of you are." 

He locked eyes with Camille, who put her head down yet again.

"But, you all have to remember, this is the time we're living in. I know people who keep house androids, and soon enough most of the population will own one. We're getting lazy, but we're also in need of efficiency. So, that's what is going to have to happen." 

"Don't you realize that we're going to lose business? Who's going to want to send their parents or someone special to them to a place where they'll be taken care of by robots?" Kacee piped up, and Camille looked over at her. She didn't know why, but she felt offended by what she had said. It was odd, because she wasn't too happy about this either. 

"Now, now. Of course we've take that into consideration. People won't be too happy, but soon enough there will be nothing that they can do. These robots are programmed to be like human companions, so it'll be just like having a person here. Only difference is, they'll get their work done in record time." Jeff responded. 

"There are some of us that work hard, you know. And it's not the same. Because they're robots." Kacee snarled. 

"They actually can act like human companions, and hold real human conversations." Camille didn't expect the words to slip out of her mouth, but they did. 

"See, that's what I mean." Jeff smiled at her. Not the sort of reaction she wanted. 

"Camille, are you serious? We might lose our jobs and you're sitting here defending it? Let me guess, it's because of Connor. Because he's given you advice." Kacee spat. 

Camille felt herself recoil. Why was Kacee being so vicious? "I didn't mean it like that. I was just saying." 

"Alright, ladies. Cool it. I didn't say anybody was losing their job today. I just figured I'd tell you all this in advance, so that you all had an idea of what was going on. While having real people is very helpful and offers companionship between the patient and the workers, androids are said to offer the same thing. Plus, it'll cut costs. We'll have more money, and can work on some rennovations and upgrades." 

"Because you won't have to pay them?" Somebody asked. Everyone in the room was agitated at this point. It used to be simply because it was morning, but anytime in the day this would've been an unpleasant surprise. 

"I understand the anger in the room. I'm not the happiest about this either. I may one day be replaced too. It is just that this is what is best in these times, so that's what we have decided to do. Like I said before, times are changing. Whether it i for better or worse is simply subjective, but I'm just telling you the truth. Some of you will not be with us anymore, as we get more and more androids working with us. We'll see how it goes." 

Everyone began to mutter amongst themselves. Camille looked over to Kacee, who gave her a glare in response. 

"Alright, alright. Listen, I don't want this to become a war or a competition. If I see any bad blood between anyone because of this, you will be asked to leave. No drama. Within the next week or so we will begin integrating androids into this place, so do be on the lookout, and don't cause problems once it happens. Get your work done. I know this is a hard and stressful time, but it's hard and stressful for all of us. This is no time to get even more lax. Don't be afraid, we might have even more openings and you can move to a different department rather than leaving this place all together. We'll see where the journey takes us." Jeff clapped his hands together. "Any questions?" 

Camille decided to speak up. "Won't we lose even more business because people can just buy androids for the house?" She thought of her own father. Not that he would ever let her send him away somewhere, but even if he did, she would much rather actually buy an android for him. Like she did with Connor. 

"Of course there are people that would rather do that, just like there are people that would rather stay home with those they care about. It all depends. But, the cost of keeping them here will be much less than getting an Android. And that's what will likely draw them in. Androids now are thousands of dollars. I don't think we'd have the problem that you are suggesting for awhile. At least that's our hope. Like I said before, at this point we're all at risk of losing our jobs. This is more of a rehab facility anyways. This is a place for the elderly that are considered too far gone. Maybe if this were a simple retirement home the problem would be more prevalent, but this doubles as sort of both. But, we'll see what happens on that front." 

Camille said nothing more, just nodded. It was a scary thought, being completely taken over by androids. 

The questions continued, but Camille zoned it all out. She was tired, and more than that, she was stressed. She just needed to get home and nap, before she broke down right here in this meeting. 

She looked back over to Kacee, who didn't even bother looking back. Camille just then remembered that they had to ride home together. 

"Great." She whispered to herself, sipping her coffee. It had gone cold. 

XX 

The ride home was awkward. For only a few minutes. 3 and a half minutes, to be exact. 

"I'm sorry for snapping at you during the meeting." Kacee said, breaking the silence that hung over them like a dark raincloud. 

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I get it. It's early, and we might lose our jobs. It sucks. I didn't mean to defend it. You were right, I was thinking about Connor." Camille replied, glancing out of the window. 

"You did say that Connor gives you advice and stuff, so I guess that's why he feels real to you." 

"He does. He does feel real sometimes. It's odd. Talking to him is a good way to let out my frustrations since he's equipped to always have advice, but it's also weird. Sometimes I feel like I know him, you know?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I guess I just mean he really feels like a person. Not that I would want him to take over my job, but it's kinda nice having him. My father doesn't really think the same, though." 

"I guess he's going to be just like all of the other elderly patients, huh?" 

"Yeah, imagine how they're going to take it. It took some of them awhile to even get used to us. Remember Ruby, and how she would try and attack me when I tried to play cards with her? After SHE asked?" 

"How is an android going to handle that?" 

"Stay cool and collected, ma'am." Camille imitated. "I am here to help." 

Kacee burst into laughter. "Some of them are so strong. They'd break those things in a second." 

"Next thing you know, Jeff would be calling us back in." 

"Imagine if they went evil. Like in the movies. Like one day, they were sick of it and just started killing everybody." 

"Oh my god. You're morbid." 

"Just saying, it's a possibility isn't it?" 

"I guess, if you like thinking that way. Apparently you do." 

"Listen what I said might be scary, but it isn't as scary as you eating a jelly filled donut. Now that is absolutely terrifying." 

"You act like you don't have any weird things that you eat. Like ketchup on ice cream. That's way worse than a jelly filled donut, just saying." 

"I never ate that." 

"You did. I caught you. Remember that night we stayed in and watched shitty horror movies all night? I caught you sneaking it, and it seemed like you quite enjoyed it." 

"Hm, still don't know what you're talking about." 

"You can play innocent, but we all know the truth." 

"I plead the fifth." Kacee reach over to the radio on. 

"We're spending all our money   
We're broke but we still party  
I think I could love someone   
like you-uuu" 

Kacee and Camille smiled at each other when they heard the song that was playing. It was a throwback, from when they were little kids. It was something they had grown up around, they loved hearing things that reminded them of the days when things were easier. 

"WHEN YOU LOOK MY WAY, I WANT YOU TO STAY, LET'S NOT THROW IT AWAY, YOU'LL BE BREAKING MY HEART IF YOU DON'T STAY." They sang(more like screamed) along, laughing as just how dramatic they were. 

It was almost enough to forget that they just might be losing their jobs soon. Almost. 

XX 

Connor could tell by the way that Camille entered the house that something was wrong. She walked more slowly when she was upset, more fast when angry, took bigger steps when she was happy or in a cheerful mood. 

"You alright?" He asked. 

She completely dodged him, reaching down to pet Sumo. "Hey buddy." She said to the dog. 

"He went on a nice long walk today. I took him out for a bit. He's a bit hard to control at first, but once you're used to it it's not that bad." 

She finally looked up at him. "I agree. He can get a bit controlling, you just have to let him know that he's not the one in charge." 

"I see you ignored my previous question. Is everything alright?" 

"Not really. But I don't really want to talk about it." How was she going to explain to an android that her job was getting taken away by other androids? He would probably offer some shitty explaination about how it's a good thing, when it wasn't. If an android wasn't paying her bills, it didn't matter. 

She walked into her father's room. He was sitting on the bed, flipping through a magazine. 

"How are you doing, dad?" She asked. 

He must've not heard her enter, because he shut the magazine with a slam and gasped quietly. That was when Camille realized that it wasn't a magazine he was reading, but a photo album. 

"I'm fine. Fine." He said. "How about you?" 

It was a first, him asking about her. Well, maybe not a first, but it had sure been awhile. 

She sat on the end of his bed, letting out a loud sigh. "Not good. I got some bad news today." 

His eyes widened. "What happened?" 

"I have to go back to work in a few hours, but they called us in early for a meeting. I might be losing my job. They're getting androids to take over most of the positions because they're more efficient. They don't know who's going to go or when people are going to go just yet, but it could be anybody." Saying the words made her even more stressed out. "I don't know how I'm going to pay for things." 

"Can't you find another job?" 

"I'm going to start looking as soon as I can. I already get behind on things so often already, I just can't believe it." 

"I can't either. That's fucked. If you ever need money, you know I have some, right? I'll be willing to help you, always." 

"It's okay dad, I'll get it all figured out. I just figured I'd say something, because I'm just so frustrated. Why does this have to happen?" 

"It's because of the damn technology. People are too fucking lazy to do anything. And you're feeding into it by buying me one of those damn things." 

"Connor's different. He isn't trying to take my job. He's just around here when I can't be." 

"What makes him any different? It's the same shit to me." 

"I mean, yoy obviously think the same as me. You refer to Connor as 'he', and you talk about him like an actual person." 

"That's just to make things easier. You don't actually see that thing as a person, do you?" 

"I never said he was a person, I just... I don't know. I just think there's nothing wrong with him." 

"Yeah, we'll try living with him. You'll see then." 

"Dad, all he does is help you clean and do everything around the house. I don't see an issue." 

"He tries to act like my fucking counselor sometimes. He tries to get me to talk about everything. That thing is a government spy. I know it." 

"Dad, don't be ridiculous. Would a government spy really care about what happened with Cole and all of that?" 

"You never know. I'm just saying. When it decides kill me, you remember that you spent your money on it." 

"Don't try and guilt trip me. I think if Connor wanted you dead, he would've killed you already." 

"You don't know that." 

"Maybe I do. I have insider info. I've been a spy this whole time, you never knew it. I bought the android just to spy on you." She winked. 

Hank laughed. Hearing it was enough to make Camille's shitty day a little less shitty. "How do I know that's not a lie?" 

"Dad, come on. Anyways, you know, it doesn't make much sense." 

"What doesn't?" 

"Androids taking over. Maybe it's just my job, but aren't people going to start buying them instead of sending people to a place to get taken care of? It just doesn't make sense." 

"Which one is more costly?" 

She thought for a moment. "Buying an Android probably. I'm going to be paying Connor off forever." 

"That's why. It's all about what costs less. People act like they care about their parents when they get too far gone, but they don't. They can't handle the responsibility of it. As soon as they can, they abandon them. Send them to whatever place they can get them in. 

"I don't think house androids are equipped with the medical knowledge they would have at a rehab center anyways. The manger said the same thing. I guess maybe they are just going to take everything over." 

"Maybe it's time to look into an early retirement, huh?" 

"Yeah. You're right." 

"I was joking, Camille. You can't retire already." 

"Oh, Yeah. I was just joking too." 

Only, she hadn't been.


	12. 11.

If there was one primary difference between Camille and Cole, it had always been that Camille was much more adventurous. She always had been. 

Cole of course had a very creative mind, but he preferred his own world over the one that they were currently in. He was always drawing, always reading. He liked exploring, if it were in other worlds that didn't exactly exist. 

Camille loved that stuff as much as the next person, but she also loved exploring the real world. 

Their father would always set limits when they went outside or went somewhere where they might be unsupervised. He was almost too careful sometimes. He had seen many horrors in the world, and didn't want his children to end up as a case or a story on the news. 

Camille would often try and break these boundaries, even if only by a step of two. She always wanted to know why they weren't allowed to go past that tree, why they weren't allowed to go in the forest behind the swingset. 

"Where do you think dad is?" Camille had once asked, reaching down to pet sumo. At this point Hank had begun to change a great deal, and they couldn't for the life of them figure out why. His drinking had begun, he spent a lot of time at the bar. That much they knew. 

"At the bar." Cole said matter of factly. For someone who was so much younger than her, Camille couldn't help but be amazed at Cole. He was so mature and so beyond his years. She supposed it was because of the harsh reality and life that they were faced with, they couldn't help but grow up a little bit quickly. 

Regardless, Camille felt as though they were the same age, even if that wasn't exactly reality. Talking to Cole felt like she was talking to one of her classmates. Actually, to her it was so much better. They had quite the age gap between them, but Cole was already beyond his years. She thought it was cool at the time, but the more she reflected on it later in life, it upset her. He shouldn't have had to deal with all of this so early on in life, and have his life cut this short. 

"We should go look for him." Camille offered, a sly smile making its way onto her lips. 

Cole looked up at her for a second, his expression blank. He shook his head. "Why?" He drew for a few more seconds before speaking again. "Can I give a treat to Sumo?" 

Camille sighed. "Sure." She told her brother, walking over to the large plastic container that held all of the dog treats. Sumo immediately jumped up at the sound. 

She grabbed one of the bags, pulled a treat out, and handed it to her brother. 

"Make him sit or something." She told him. "That way it's not just a free treat." 

"Sumo deserves free treats." Cole said, calling the dog towards him. 

Camille couldn't help but giggle. "You're right. But he's smart too." 

"He is. Sumo sit!" Cole commanded, also giving the dog the hand signal. 

Sumo did as he was told, and Cole gave him the treat. 

"That's a good boy!" Camille said, petting the dog. "Why don't you want to go see where dad is?" She tried, changing the subject yet again. She was pushy, back then especially. She always wanted things her own way. 

"Because he'll be home soon. He's at the bar. Who's gonna watch Sumo?" 

"He can watch himself. He's smart, I just showed you." 

"Why can't we just stay here?" 

Camille huffed and decided to drop the topic. It was obvious she couldn't sway her brother, as much as she wished that she could. She said nothing more, sitting herself back onto the couch. She knew she was so much older and shouldn't be pouting and upset over silly things such as this(even if her brother was right in saying that they would get nothing out of this, because they wouldn't), but she decided that being dramatic was the answer to all of her problems. She wasn't exactly mature yet, even though she knew that she should be getting there. She just felt her childish desires eating her away more often than not. People told her throughout her life that it was because she had never had a proper mother figure, but she just chalked it up to it being because she hung around her brother more than anybody else. At least that's what she told herself. 

"Why don't you just go to the bar?" Cole asked after a few moments of silence, not looking up from the paper he had started to scrawl on again. 

"What?" Camille asked, turning to her little brother. 

"You should just go. Just you." 

"And leave you here alone? No, I won't do that. You know that." 

"Why? I'll be fine, I won't do anything. I won't even change the channel!" 

The older girl smiled warmly at her brother, running a hand through her dark hair. "I can't. I have to be here." 

"What if dad gave you the choice?" 

"Huh?" 

"What if dad gave you the choice to leave if you wanted, and said you didn't have to stay with me the whole time. Would you go?" 

Camille got down onto the floor and scooted over to her brother. "Of course not. I need to be here and protect you." 

"Protect me?" 

"Yeah, protect you. Like, if anything were to happen, they'd have to get through me first." 

"What if they get through you?" 

"They wouldn't." 

"But what if they do?" 

"But I'm telling you they won't." 

"Fine. You win." 

"Good. Just know that I'm going to protect you always." 

He looked up at her then, for what felt like a fraction of a second, but just long enough for the two to meet eyes and exchange warm smiles. "Do you promise?" He asked her. 

"Yes. Of course. I promise you, Cole." 

This conversation played in her head from time to time, even today. She knew she wasn't to blame about what happened, nobody REALLY was, but she still felt like she had failed at the one job of being an older sibling. Protecting her little brother. 

XX

"Connor!" 

Connor jolted up from the crouching position he was currently taking while wiping off the floor. He knew that it was Camille calling out for him, but there was something so much different about her voice. She always had a sort of monotone way of speaking, with a pinch of sadness, even if she didn't know it, Connor could hear it. Today, she sounded giddy. Excited. 

He turned to face the woman, who was surprisingly smiling. 

It was strange seeing her like this, but strange in a way that also felt good. He knew it was a good thing(hell, maybe even an amazing thing) to see her actually beaming, and he had to know why. 

"Camille." He stared simply, giving her the usual warm smile that he was programmed to give no matter what. 

"I had a conversation with my dad! Like, an actual conversation! It was a bit rough at first, but then it turned out good! He laughed, Connor! He laughed!" She knew that to any person she would seem overly excited and like she was just overdoing it over something that won't matter when their relationship went back to the same way it was the next day, but she didn't care. In this moment, this was something that she was happy about. Plus, Connor was an Android. Wasn't he made to hear about her problems? She hadn't stopped beaming about it since it happened. It was a small step, but a step nonetheless. 

Connor took a step towards her. "That's good. What about?" 

Times like these it was so OBVIOUS that he was a robot, just in the way that he was speaking to her. It could be annoying, but she pushed it aside. At least she had someone to gush to, even if he was giving her automated responses. It was still refreshing in a way. "Just... you know. About stuff. About how I might lose my job soon." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean that there was a meeting and we were all told that some of us might be losing our jobs. All because of... Androids. They're hiring Androids to be more efficient and to cause less drama or something. And I'm scared because even if I don't lose my job at first, there's definitely that chance that I will later on. I mean, it's sort of inevitable. Once they get them and figure out that they're better and more efficient, we'll all be done. So I guess I can't even say I think I'm losing my job. I KNOW I'm losing my job. It's just a matter of time at this point." The smile that was once on her face had fallen, and she sunk onto the floor, her face in her hands. She was back to being stressed. 

"Androids are made to more efficient but it isn't something to fear I can assure you-" 

Camille stood again, interrupting him. "How am I going to pay bills? How am I going to do anything? Do you know that I'm still paying you off and am going to be for a long time? I can't do that without a job. Can I hire an android to pay my fucking bills?" 

"I didn't mean what I said like that. I simply meant that there are other opportunities. Some jobs will be occupied by androids, but we will not be taking over. We will be working in harmony." 

"Well, it doesn't sound like that's the case at my job. There's no harmony about it. What am I going to do? I just don't know." 

"Start looking at other things maybe? Just so you can have a backup?" 

"But won't the same thing happen? It's literally a lost cause." 

"Police and doctors work alongside androids." 

"I can't be a doctor or a cop. I've only graduated high school. And I'm not fit for any of those things. I don't get why we can't just work alongside them too. I just don't get it." 

"Getting a high school diploma or GED is the minimum formal education requirement for most police officers." 

"Did my dad tell you?" She asked him, cocking a brow. With how pushy he was being, it had to be the only explanation. 

"Tell me what?" 

Camille chuckled. "I had a dream of being a great detective, just like he was. I thought it would be so cool. I still watch cop and detective shows and find it cool. Lame as it sounds." She shrugged. 

"It's not lame. Like I said, it's still attainable." 

"I gave that up a long time ago." 

"Regardless, I know you'll find something. I know things will work out." 

"You know, thanks. That actually means a lot." She moved closer to him, and for some reason, felt the need to pull him into a hug. So she did. 

He stood awkwardly for a few seconds, then wrapped his arms around her. She was sort of shocked at the contact. If she didn't feel like he was real before, she certainly did now. Of course, she knew it was sort of stupid because she was meant to feel that, it was what he was made for. But she still felt like there was more to him. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking. She wanted to believe she was venting to someone who cared. 

She pulled away, smiling at him. "You know, I was just thinking the other day about how real you feel. I like having you around, forget what my dad says." 

He processed the words for a few seconds, surprisingly struggling. What the hell was happening to him? "Uh... real?" 

Camille stared at him for a second, she had never heard him stutter or choke on words like this. It was odd. But refreshingly so. "Yeah. Like, I feel like you're more than just someone who helps my dad. Like we're friends." She smirked playfully. 

"Friends? Yeah... we can be friends if that's what you want me to be." 

She laughed. "Am I fucking with your code or something? Do YOU want be friends?" She joked, and he averted his eyes. 

"I can't want. I can't have human emotion. I'm incapable." 

"Is it scary?" 

"That's a human emotion." 

"Bullshit. You just hugged me back. Didn't you feel like... happy or something?" 

"I knew it would make you feel better. So I did it." 

"You KNEW. How do you know that is?" 

"Because I'm programmed to know. I know how to clean. How to cook." 

Here he was talking about that robot bullshit again. "Alright, you got me there. But like..." 

"What?" 

"You really want to know?" 

"Well yeah, if you want to tell me." 

"You just admitted to wanting something. Boom. Got you." 

"For your sake." 

"Oh okay, put it on me. You know, I'm just fucking with you. You know, just like how people would do it with... I don't fucking know. Siri or whatever." She didn't even know why she felt like this about a robot, but she did. She knew he was just an Android that she bought, but she also wasn't exactly lying about the friends thing. Maybe, she told herself, she was just lonely. She only had one friend after all. Maybe it was because she had lost so much in life, and she found solace in the idea of having something she would never lose. 

"I thought you wanted us to be friends?" 

"Hm. I do. You're my second best friend Connor, how does that feel?"

"I can be whatever you want." 

"Doesn't exactly answer my question, but I'll take it. Also, did the people programming you realize that people will take 'I can be whatever you want' and use it for some nasty shit?" 

"I suppose. But that means they make more money, so why would they care? People can use androids for whatever they like." 

"I just thought about that. I KNOW there are people out there that fuck androids. Oh my god." 

Connor said nothing, and Camille decide to speak again. "Well, I'm gonna go home now. See you later, or whenever. Check up on my dad. Tell him I told you to do it." She smiled, and was on her way. 

XX 

Connor stood motionless at the window, peering out. Since Camille had left, his mind was running, which wasn't normal. He had went to check on Hank, but he was asleep. So, the Android was left with his thoughts. Which, again, was far from normal. 

The word REAL had stuck out to him. Camille had said it like she meant it, even if she admitted that was messing with him. He didn't know why. It was confusing. And that was a human emotion. 

He also couldn't help but realize that he actually felt empathy for Hank and Camille. He hadn't known them all that long, but he couldn't help but care for them. At least he thought he did. That was yet another human thing. He wasn't a human. Camille must've just messed with his program just like she said she did. None of this made sense, and it didn't have to. He was here for one reason. And he was going to focus on that. All of this confusing stuff coursing through his program, he would ignore it. Even though he wanted to understand it, even if it scared him shitless. 

"Connor, what the hell are you doin'?" 

Hank was awake. And had seen him mindlessly staring out of the window. Great. 

"I... thought I heard something. I'm returning to work now. Are you hungry?" 

"Nah. I'm fine right now." Hank said, staring at Connor as he scuttled away. Something was off about him. He just couldn't put his finger on just what, though. 

"Swear to god if that fucker kills me in my sleep." The man mumbled to himself as he headed back to his room. 

XX 

A/N: GUESS WHO KICKED THEIR SLUMP? ME!!! I'm so happy right now I could scream (actually not really it's almost 3 am and I'm not trying to get evicted) 

But boy did I miss Camille, Connor, and Hank. Connor is... feeling things? Oh no. They grow up so fast! Also, more Camille and Connor bonding? Love that. 

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a bit shorter and not as eventful. Thanks for reading and sticking with me, even when I have episodes of writer's block for months. It means a lot. Love you all.


	13. 12.

Tension was high at work. It hung heavy over everyone like a large and grey storm cloud, and Camille felt it as soon as she walked in. 

She was never the most social when it came to her co workers, she mostly stuck to herself and did what she had to do. The only person she actually spoke to apart from the patients themselves was of course Kacee. She normally steered clear of most others unless it was something work related. Today, she was especially steering clearing. 

This should've been expected. 

Everyone was staring at each other, silently wondering who was going to lose their job first. It had of course been running through everybody's mind since the whole thing was announced. Camille was no exception. 

Those who rarely did anything made sure to be on their best behavior, and made it seem like they were always hard at work. 

Camille didn't blame them. In fact, she followed suit. She did enjoy her job, but she had to make sure to be on her A-Game. She couldn't just blend in as she usually did. She had to stand out. She knew it was stupid, but everyone else was getting competitive, she felt as though she had to if she wanted to keep her job. 

"You're fucking crazy. You'd be one of the last ones that gets fired. You're like the most fucking quiet person here. You never cause any problems, you always act cheery when you're in the worst mood. You're here to stay." Kacee had tried to assure her. 

Her anxiety didn't go anywhere though, and she hoped that her friend couldn't see through the fake smile she put on. "There's a lot better than me. Plus, anybody could do activities. It's not like a nurse, where you have to have verification and whatever. It'll especially be a fitting job for a robot. Anything can call out bingo numbers." 

"So? Anybody can do my job too. It's all about you as a person. All about what you bring." 

"I guess so. We're both going to be fired if we don't get to work and keep standing here talking, though." 

"Well, I guess we should get to it." Kacee chuckled, and Camille gave yet another fake smiles. 

Maybe her best friend was right. She shouldn't worry. But she was going to. She always worried. It was just what she did. She worried about her father, about her job, about herself, about everything. She didn't think she could name a single day where something wasn't on her mind. She needed to go out again or something, this wasn't healthy. She knew that. But for some reason, she didn't want to change it.

She shook the thoughts away. It was time to get back to work. 

Just as she was walking to where she needed to be, she heard someone whisper "the robots are gonna be taking over". She couldn't help but genuinely chuckle at that one. 

XX

"I'm going out." 

Connor never would have thought that he would hear those words come out of Hank's mouth. The entire time that he had known the man, he barely even left his room. 

He was fairly positive that this was a good thing. It wasn't like he could question it anyways. He just had to agree and let Hank do his thing, and ask if he needed anything else. 

"Alright. You need me to tend to anything while you're gone? And do you need a ride to wherever you're going, or-" 

Hank sighed. "I'll be fine. Don't fuckin' worry about it. And as for around here, you just wait until I come back. Go into standby mode or whatever the hell. Just don't touch anything. Let Sumo out now, and let him hang outside. If he begs to come back in, let him in. That's it. Do nothing else." 

Connor nodded. "As you please. Have a good time." 

"If Camille comes back here, just tell her I went to the store or something. She'll freak out if you don't. And we don't need that." 

XX

This couldn't be right. 

Connor hadn't been ordered to go anywhere near here, why did he feel himself gravitating towards it? 

What was it that humans called it? Curiosity... that was it. Curiosity had to be the reason for this. 

He was in front of Cole's door. He knew it was wrong. Something was telling him to step away. That something was his code, of course. But something else was telling him to step inside, something he wasn't at all familiar 

Hank wasn't there. Sumo was outside, and he didn't want to be let in just yet. Connor had done everything that he had to do, and usually that was enough. Usually he would stand around and wait for more orders. Or in this case, he would sit around and wait simply because that was his order. That was what he was built to do. But today, doing his job just didn't suffice. He wanted more, so much more. 

Wanting things was so odd. Was this what humans felt constantly? How did they live life so freely? Weren't they terrified? 

He opened the door slowly, and stepped inside. 

XX 

Camille felt off for some reason. Maybe it was the strange day she had, the odd energy at work had thrown her off. She felt overly anxious, and it was quite draining if she were being honest. She hoped she wouldn't have to feel like this every single day. 

Seeing her dad would make her feel better, though. Regardless of how strained their relationship was, seeing him always made her feel good. He was one of the few things that she had left, and maybe she shouldn't cling to him the way that she did, but she felt as though she couldn't help it at this point. 

When she pulled into her father's driveway, she knew something was up. 

She rushed inside, and her fears were confirmed. Something was certainly off. 

"Connor?" She called out, and got no response. She looked over to the door that lead to the backyard and saw Sumo scratching. She walked towards it and opened it, and the dog came running inside. 

"Hey, Buddy. Where's my dad? Where's Connor?" She asked aloud, reaching down to pet him. 

As she was walking towards her father's room, she noticed that the door to Cole's old room was opened. His toys were all around, but most of his stuff was still stored in the room. 

She let out a quiet sigh. So, this was where her father was. He was probably having a bad day, and as much as she wanted to yell at him and tell him it wasn't healthy, she realized that doing so would make her a hypocrite. So instead, she would just offer him comfort. It was what they both needed. 

"Dad, are you-" She asked, nearly jumping backwards when she realized it wasn't Hank in the room, but Connor. 

Connor was kneeling down by some trains, and when he heard Camille come in, he stood abruptly. "Your father went to the store." He said, trying to walk past her like nothing was happening. She wasn't having it. 

"Did he tell you to clean all of this stuff up?" She asked, cocking a brow. 

"No, I-" He paused, looking down at the ground. 

"Why are you here then?" 

"I... I just didn't know what it was." 

"You can tell me if he told you to clean it out. I won't be hurt by it. I think it's good, actually. I can help you if you need." 

"I was just curious! That's it! He never told me to clean it out." 

Camille's look of confusion turned into a smirk. "Curious? That's a human emotion. Thought you couldn't feel that, huh? Are you lying to me?" 

"Listen, Camille. I don't get it either. He just told me he was leaving, and gave me some things to do. Uh... let the dog out... oh no. Is Sumo back inside? I forgot about him." 

Why was he acting like this? Camille wanted to chuckle, but she was much too intrigued. "He's fine. I let him in. Continue. He gave you some things to do and?" 

"And I was just standing there, like he told me to, I wondered about the door. What was behind it. Why does he still live here if it brings him misery? Why didn't he ever clean it out? Then I went in, and I started looking at everything. I tried to imagine what your brother was like. I just wanted to understand you both and your feelings. I don't know why." 

Camille had no idea what to say to that. This was something that she would've never expected to hear from him. What the fuck was going on? "Are you messing with me? Did my father tell you to say this to me?" 

"No, why would he do that? Look, I'm sorry for even doing this. It's wrong. And you have every reason not to want me here anymore." 

She reached out, touching him on the shoulder. "Connor, no I wasn't saying..." She paused. "Look. I was just saying that because my father doesn't want you around, and thinks you're going to kill him or something. He wants me to think that you're more than a robot, and that you're sent from the government to watch us. You know how he gets, you've known him long enough. He just doesn't want me to like you. I'll admit it, yeah I do think you're much more than just a machine. That's... odd to say out loud. But I do. I don't mean that I'm a bad way, either. You're like a friend. I know I've said that before, but it's true. And this all just proves it." 

He looked over at her. She was smiling. "Just don't tell him anything about the things I said, or that I went in here. He'll freak out." 

"I promise you that I won't. It'll be our little secret." 

She didn't know why she was as okay with this as she was, this would be enough to freak most regular human beings out. But she was so amazed by it, so intrigued. 

At first, getting Connor was simply something to help her father out. Now, he was getting to be so much more than that. And she couldn't say that she hated it. 

XX 

Hank was pissed at himself for being here. It was a sign of weakness, a sign of yet again falling back into the toxic behaviors that led to his downfall. 

As he pressed the glass up to his lips, he felt the bitter liquid make its way down his throat, a stinging sign of defeat. 

He looked around at everybody else that was here with him tonight. 

A couple. They were laughing together and looking at each other as if they were the only people in the world. Nice, that would last a good few years until they ultimately gave up on each other and couldn't stand to be in the same presence. 

A woman. She looked lonely, too. She was looking down at the ground, as if making eye contact with anybody, even the bartender, would kill her. Hank couldn't blame her. He felt the same way. 

A younger guy. He was definitely here looking for a hookup. He was watching the room, looking for someone to prey on. Hank knew the feeling, he was young once. It still didn't make the man any less of an idiot. What was the point of what he was looking to do? To wake up and regret it? To get someone attached to you, and maybe to get attached to someone else only for nothing to ultimately come of it? 

Hank normally had an extremely cynical world view, but alcohol seemed to only make it worse. He couldn't stop judging everyone around him. It was strange how so many people in the same place have such different intentions. 

He knew he wasn't in any place to judge another person. But, it was something that just came naturally to him at this point. He knew people were probably staring him down and thinking bad things about him to. He wondered about them. Did they think he was homeless? Did he think he was a divorced husband who lost a custody battle? Just a drunk in general? He knew many people here knew his face from before, when he was actually a detective. He wondered if they went home and laughed at him. 

He downed another round, wondering how the hell he was going to get home. At this point, he couldn't drive. That was why he didn't drive here. He knew he would be in no condition to drive afterwards. He would simply call a cab if he could find the money in his pocket, if he hadn't used it all on the way here and at the bar itself. He felt as though he was fucked, but he would hold out hope. 

If he didn't have a daughter, he would risk it. If he were being honest, she was the only reason he hadn't blown his own brains out. He knew most people would push him towards a therapist for these thoughts, and that was simply why he didn't say anything aloud anymore. What was the point? He knew that it wasn't good to hold things in, but what else was he supposed to do? As pathetic as he felt thinking it, there was no other way to go about things. 

When he was a detective, he was obviously desensitized to a lot of things. It was what his job required. Of course, things would sometimes get emotional and maybe even terrifying, but he couldn't bring that into the job. It was the same for any workplace, but the pressure was on especially for cops. He had seen the worst kinds of things, things normal people only saw on TV. None of it could've prepared him for the death of his son though, and that was when the false tough-guy facade he had put up came crashing down. He knew exactly how all of the families he had seen felt now. He knew how they cried when they came home, wishing things had gone differently. He knew the desperation of wanting to blame yourself for everything. He knew it all. 

He took a deep sigh. His mind drifted to his daughter. She had probably already been by the house, probably asked about him. If things had gone to plan, Connor said he was at the store. Camille wouldn't have much to say about that. She'd be a bit surprised, but more happy than anything. She was likely at her own apartment now, doing whatever it was that she did. At least that's what he had hoped. 

He had no idea how wrong he was. 

XX 

"I was always the small one. I could never be the big one. He would always throw a fit." 

Camille had no idea why she was still in here. She and Connor were sat in Cole's old room, on the floor, with the trains that Connor had been looking at earlier. 

"How old was he?" Connor asked, instantly regretting doing so. 

She looked down before answering him. "He was 6. So, he was still at the toy stage. We both were. I know I was way too old, but since we had such a big age difference, I was still interested in these things simply because he played with them." 

"Do you think your father will ever clean it out in here?" 

"I don't know. I hope so. I miss him too, but keeping this stuff around does more harm than good. I guess I can't talk though." She shrugged. "I have my kitchen painted orange because it was his favorite color. I fucking hate orange. So, I can't really say anything about how other people cope." It was the first time she had ever admitted something like that to someone, other than maybe Kacee. She knew she had faults, but just like her father, she often refused to look at them, so things rarely changed. 

"Everybody has ways to cope. You just need to find more healthy ones. I'm sure within time you'll work it out." 

"Thanks, Connor." She smiled, but it dropped a mere few seconds later. "By the way, where'd you say my father went?" 

"The store." 

"The store? Shouldn't he be back by now? We've been in here for hours. He should be back." 

"Don't worry. Maybe he just had to pick up a lot of things." 

"I doubt it. If he's not back in another hour, I know exactly where I'll go." 

Connor reached out. "I don't think you'll have to-" 

"I will. I think you know exactly where he is." 

"I don't, all I know is that he left." 

"If he's gone another hour, I'm going out and looking for him. I can't just go home without seeing him. It worries me." 

Connor nodded, as if he understood. He did, to a degree. Just not as much as he wished he did. There was a lot to learn about humans, and Hank and Camille were perfect examples it seemed. "It'll all work out." 

"I sure hope so." She said, hoping he couldn't detect the sadness in her voice. 

XX

During his people watching, Hank also watched everyone that came in. Sad people, happy people, old people, young people. One person he didn't expect to see was his daughter. 

She stormed towards him, and even his drunken daze he could tell she was pissed. 

"Dad, What the fuck are you doing here?" She said, grabbing his arm. 

"What the fuck are you doing here? Go home." He replied, turning away from her. 

"I can't believe you! Why are you here? You know you shouldn't be, that's why you lied about it. I'm not an idiot." 

"And you're also not my mother, Camille. In case you haven't noticed, it's the other way around. I'm the parent. I can do what I want. I don't show up to wherever the fuck you go and try and get you out." 

"I'm just worried about you." 

People were staring at this point. 

"Camille. Go home." 

"I'm taking you home. Come on. Please. I'm not leaving until you come with me." 

Hank sighed. No use arguing, and he didn't need any more of a scene. 

He got up, and he stumbled his way to Camille's car. 

The ride was just as awkward as one would imagine. 

"Why would you do this?" 

"Camille, I'm not listening to this." 

"Of course you won't." 

"I don't need to worry for me. I don't need you to throw your life away for me. This needs to stop. I'm fuckin worried about YOU. You're a young person, who should be living her best life. Why didn't you become a detective like you always dreamed? Because of me. And I hate that." 

"I just didn't want to do it anymore. I was a kid. I thought we've been over this." 

"Bullshit. That's why you were always looking at schools right?" 

"I'm sorry that I'm not the daughter you've always wanted. I'm sorry I have a shit job that I might get fired from, and live in a shithole apartment." 

"I never said that. You're being dramatic. I just wish you did what you wanted, rather than drop it all to help me out. I don't need it." 

"Dad, What would've happened if I didn't come in the night with the gun?" 

"The same thing that happened. I didn't shoot myself, did I? You act as though I'm the only person upset about things. You dropped everything after he died too, you know. I know that was a big part of it, but it wasn't all of it. You're not doing any better than I am." He snapped. 

"I never said that I was..." Her voice was beginning to break. He was right. 

How could she help him when she barely knew how to cope with things herself? She turned away from him, trying to contain the tears welling up in her eyes. 

They were both broken, and there didn't seem to be a fix. 

XX 

A/N: this is going to be just one big long character study, huh? 

Sorry again for not updating for awhile. I keep having on and off spurts of inspiration, and during the off periods I hate my writing and can't even bear to read it. It's a disease or something I swear, I hate it. But hey, right now I'm on the good side of things. 

Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading! Love you guys, have a good day/night!


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